Miraculous Love life
by Miraculous lover 101
Summary: Marinette and Adrien meet at birth and their love story becomes drastically different. What will happen through the years?
1. Chapter 1: babies

This is a story about Marinette and Adrien. If they had met the day they were born what would have happened in their love lives? Keep reading to find out...

It was nearly 2:00 a.m on a cold winters morning when Mrs. Agreste and Mrs. Dupain Cheng were laying in the hospital giving birth to their first child. Adrien was born less than a minute before Marinette and they both came into the world smiling. They were put in the nursery two cribs down from each other. They instantly connected when their eyes met. Sabine and Tom were looking through the window at their beautiful baby girl but Mr. and Mrs. Agreste were still in the hospital room weeping. Mrs. Agreste was dying. Adrien's birth was killing her. Her death would be very slow but just knowing it was coming made them cry. The doctors predicted she would die when Adrien was about 5 years old. When they finally did come out neither of them spoke. They just stared at the beautiful young boy that would cause her death.

"Is that one yours?" Sabine smiled at the mourning couple. Mrs. Agreste smiled faintly and nodded. Sabine pointed to Marinette and spoke again, "That's my baby. Isn't she the most beautiful thing?" She asked quietly.

"She's gorgeous," Mrs. Agreste tried to show joy through the sorrow. "Here's my number. Maybe we can set up a play date someday," she added as she slipped a piece of paper into Sabine's hand. A day later the men came back to pick up the ladies and their infants.


	2. Chapter 2: toddlers

Very soon the tots first play date was arranged. They were barely two and both starting to walk and talk now.

"Say hello dear," Sabine chirped.

"Hewo der," Marinette sang. Sabine patted her head and set her on the floor right next to Adrien. Adrien got up and ran away. Marinette gladly chased him. They were super slow and kept falling over but it looked like they were having a lot of fun.

"I'll be back around four, Okay?" Sabine said as she closed the door. Emilie watched the children chase for nearly an hour and then fed them. They started an epic food fight that Emilie was left to clean up once they went down for a nap. Adrien was curled up in a ball with his hand laying on Marinette's head. She was sprawled on the floor with her hands and feet going in all different directions. They were the cutest things.

Sabine arrived hours later and found Adrien and Marinette running around the house with diapers on their heads.

"Cute! Let me take a quick photo," Sabine said as she reached for her phone. She took an amazing shot of the tots and then went home.

A few weeks later they met up at a local coffee shop and put the kids in the back daycare room. Adrien was in a very bad mood that day and Marinette's constant yelling pushed him past his borders. He pushed her to the ground and pinched her arm, hard. She started crying and the whole coffee shop could hear it. Sabine and Emilie ran to the room and Sabine scooped up Marinette only to discover the giant mark on her arm. She ave Emilie a sad look.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think the children can play together any more," she said firmly.

"I understand," she replied sadly. The women picked up their children and went home.

Months later Emilie called Sabine in a panicked rush.

"Hello, Sabine? I know we decided the kids couldn't hang out anymore but I have to ask for a huge favor. Gabrielle and I are leaving town for a few days. Do you mind watching Adrien?" She pitifully asked through the phone. Sabine smiled. She knew she would have to do the right thing. Plus Marinette became depressed the minute she realized she wouldn't be playing with Adrien anymore. She agreed and the next day when the car arrived at the bakery Marinette burst through the doors screaming.

"Adrien! Adrien! Adrien!" She yelled. She was about to hug him when she stopped short. Climbing out of the car was another girl the same age and she was holding hands with Adrien! "Adrien, who's she?" She asked doubtfully.

"My mommy asked your mommy to watch me and Chloe for a few days. This is her," he said happily. Marinette was upset. She wanted to play with Adrien alone but Chloe would ruin it. When Chloe saw Marinette's jealousy she smiled and glared at her. At age two the girls were already enemies.


	3. Chapter 3: new enemies

Marinette pushed her way past Chloe and held onto Adrien's other hand. She stuck out her tongue when Adrien wasn't looking. Chloe sneered back. At such a young age the girls were already fueling the hate between them. They didn't know it yet but someday they would become best friends...

The play date started and so far it was off to an awful start. Marinette was crying after being smacked by Chloe and trying to muster up strength to tug her hair while Adrien was running around completely oblivious to what was happening. Sabine tried to calm down the fighting girls. She placed them in separate rooms and told them to go to sleep. Marinette was pleased to find out Adrien was going to sleep in the same room as her. His crib was right next to hers and she loved watching him play with his hair before falling asleep. Very soon all the toddlers were sleeping. Sabine breathed in a sigh of relief. When the children woke up Adrien was the first one out of bed and without a fuss but it wasn't the same for the girls. They both screamed at the top of their lungs for attention. Actually Adrien didn't even notice the girls but Sabine was suffering. She scooped the girls from their cribs and put them in their high chairs. Adrien was placed in between them. This automatically caused a fight. Chloe grabbed Adrien's arm and nearly pulled him off his high chair. Marinette grabbed his other arm and he was terrified. The girls glared and in sync they screamed for their snacks. Sabine scooted their chairs five feet away from Adrien's and handed them graham crackers. As they ate their snacks the girls didn't take their eyes off each other for a second. They couldn't risk letting the other girl get Adrien's attention. The rest of the play date continued like this and so did the weekend. Nights were worst because Chloe couldn't stand being in a different room from Adrien while marinette was getting her way. It continued like this for days until finally the day came for the children to be picked up.

"Thanks for watching them Sabine!" Emilie gushed.

"No worries. They were perfect angels," she lied. "and I know we agreed they couldn't play together anymore but I think we should lift the ban. They love hanging out and this could lead to a family connection some day," she teased. Mrs. Agreste smiled. She would love to have Marinette as a daughter in law some day.


	4. Chapter 4: first day of school

By age 5 the children were starting preschool together. As luck would have it Marinette and Adrien were placed together while Chloe was placed in a whole different classroom. Marinette was overjoyed. Chloe was anything but pleased. She practically begged her father to have her transferred but since the room was full and Mr. Bourgeois was not mayor yet he didn't have the power to change her classrooms. On the first day Sabine made sure to make Mari feel like a princess. She dressed her up in a darling pink jumper, ballet shoes, and twin Minnie Mouse buns in her hair. Two big pink bows were tied into the look and a dab of lipgloss just for the occasion. All of Marinette's new supplies were carefully stuffed into the small violet bag and a big lunch was in her matching lunchbox. She looked so ready for school. Tom snapped a picture before walking her to the bus stop. She waved and smiled shyly at her new bus driver as she stepped slowly onto the big yellow vehicle. She took a seat close to a young girl with pigtails and large glasses.

"Hi, I'm Alya! Wanna be friends?" Said the girl. She gave Mari a big grin covered with rainbow braces and instantly Mari liked her.

"Sure! Hey, can I tell you a secret?" She whispered. "There's a boy in our class who I have a big crush on." She said. Alya stuck out her tongue and smiled.

"Ew, boys are yucky but don't worry. I won't tell you're secret. What's this boy's name?" She asked

"Adrien Agreste," she whispered nervously. Alya laughed and hugged her new bestie.

"I can't wait to meet him!" She yelled. The girls giggled and talked for the rest of the ten minute bus ride. The second the bus came to a stop Alya grabbed Mari's hand and dragged her off the bus. "Okay, where is he?" Mari looked around anxiously. Suddenly she spotted him talking to Chloe! She pointed to him.

"He's over there talking to that girl! Her name is Chloe. She likes him too," she said grumpily. Alya gave her a mean look.

"Don't worry Mari, I'll make sure she doesn't get in your way!" She yelled. She grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her over to Chloe and Adrien. "Hi Adrien!... Chloe" she sneered. "I'm Marinette's new best friend and since you are her friend I need to be your friend too," she said making sure she only looked at Adrien.

"Okay!" He yelled. He graciously hugged the girls and grabbed their hands. He pulled them inside to find their desks. The desks were arranged into groups of four. Adrien, Marinette, Alya, and some other kid named Nino were all in a group together. The group jumped with joy. Alya seated Adrien right next to Marinette and herself right across from her. Soon class started and other kids started settling into their new seats. The teacher gave them a few moments to socialize within their groups. Marinette smiled knowing that Chloe was probably stuck in a group with a bunch of strangers she would learn to hate. She turned to Alya and started discussing random things every little girl talks about; unicorns, princesses, and all that jazz. Adrien decided to make friends with Nino since he seemed so lonely. The instantly hit it off. They were friends in a minute. Already chatting away caught up in their own little world. Suddenly the teacher clapped and interrupted the chatter. The children all stared at her expectantly as she walked to the chalkboard. She drew a simple picture of a girl and boy playing on the swings.

"Okay children, your assignment is to draw a picture of you doing your favorite hobby. It can be soccer, swimming, hiking, or even chess," She chuckled. "Just find something you love and draw a picture of it. You have the rest of the time until lunch to work on it. If you have time do more than one. Have fun children!" She sang cheerfully. She passed out crayons and paper then sat at her desk and read. Marinette instantly knew what to draw. She went to work on her masterpiece. Already at a young age she was very artistic. She used multiple colors and even styles. She worked so hard on her one drawing she used up both of the two hours on her piece. When the lunch bell rang she was shocked out of her daze. She had been so concentrated on her drawing it was practically hypnotizing her. She had finished just in time. She gathered her lunchbox and shawl and ran for the door. The children were allowed to eat outside as long as it was warm and since summer had just ended it wasn't too cool yet. For lunch Marinette, Alya, Nino, and adrien sat together in a circle on the softest grass they could find. Trouble soon started when Chloe's class came out. She had also found a new friend which was pretty surprising. Her name was Sabrina and she was surprisingly shy. Marinette guessed Chloe would have found a friend as rude and outspoken as her. The girls stalked over to the group and squeezed right between Adrien and Marinette. She was obviously upset.

"Excuse me, I was sitting there!" She yelled. Chloe glared at her.

"Marinette don't you know you should share your space with people. It's the nice thing to do. Wow, so rude!" She snarled. Sabrina kept quiet. Marinette glared back but Chloe hardly noticed. She was already on Adrien's arm and nothing else mattered to her at the moment. Alya looked about ready to kill her. The girls were gonna have a rough year but the boys couldn't care less or even seem to notice. One thing was for certain though; Adrien was the girl's only goal.


	5. Chapter 5: birthdays and battles part 1

School had just started days ago but already Chloe's birthday was arriving. The first few days of school had been full of drama so far. Lots of fighting among the girls. Alya had even gaven Chloe a bloody nose when she got a little too friendly with Adrien. She had been sent to the principal's office and Marinette had followed close behind like a loyal friend. She then gave a half hour speech about how good of a person Alya was and how she shouldn't be punished too harshly for the one encounter. The principal considered this and decided to just send her home for the rest of the day and let her parents dish out the punishment. As the girls walked out of the office Alya gave Marinette a quick high five as she slowly trudged to her parents awaiting angrily in their minivan. The next day Alya came to school with a letter for Chloe which stated she was very sorry for hurting her. The letter wasn't sincere but atleast she didn't get into a lot trouble. Chloe gladly accepted the letter and snobbishly rubbed it in her face as many time as possible saying,

"Oh look everyone! Alya is such a sweetie for giving me this apology letter!" Alya wanted to murder her but she knew if she touched a finger to her she would be heading to the principal again.

The next day came and Chloe looked upset to the pleasure of Alya and Marinette. She was handing out little pink cards to everyone in the entire preschool. When Marinette was grudidgly handed a card she gasped in surprise. She wasn't that good at reading yet but by the pictures she could tell that Chloe had just handed **her** an invite to a birthday party. She immediately ran over to Alya who was also looking startled by the sudden invitation. Why was Chloe being so nice to everyone all of a sudden? In mere seconds Adrien was behind the confused girl giving them a big hug.

"Are you guys excited for the party? I totally am! Chloe's mom told her to invite the whole grade so all our friends will be there!" He yelled with enthusiasm. "Are you both going?" He asked anxiously awaiting a yes.

"No way!" Marinette hollered. "You couldn't drag me there if it was the last party I'd ever attend! I'm not gonna even tell my mom about it." Adrien looked devastated but gave a hopeful glance toward Alya.

"Me neither!" She said strongly. "Chloe's nothing but trouble! Who would wanna waste their time getting all dressed up and finding a present for her?" Adrien's gleeful atittude slowly melted.

"But she's our friend," he said with barely a spark of hope. His pitiful face started tearing up and Marinette felt kind of bad but Alya wasn't having any of that.

"Maybe she's **your** friend but she treats us like dirt and my mommy says a healthy friendship requires kindness on both ends," Alya said pointedly. Adrien sighed and walked away without a second glance. Marinette's tummy suddenly didn't feel so good. She had just broken Adrien's heart which was something she never wanted to do. She looked towards Alya.

"He really wanted us to go... maybe we should for Adrien's sake," Marinette suggested shyly. Alya gasped in surprise.

"Girl, get your priorities straight! Isn't there a saying that goes gals before pals or something? That boy isn't your only friend. If he wants to suffer let him do it alone," she said. Marinette nodded.

"I guess," she said slowly as Alya grabbed her hand and they rushed into the classroom as the morning bell rang. When they got inside the mood suddenly changed. Adrien was beaming again but many other classmates were in dismay. "What just happened?" Marinette whispered to Adrien.

"The teacher just announced that she was sending the cards out to our parents as emails so we won't forget to show them!"he announced not so quietly. Marinette's eyes widened and then suddenly all went black and she had no feeling. She suddenly woke up in a small white room filled with inspirational posters. Her head ached and her eyes were having trouble opening but when her eyes finally focused she saw her parents looking at her and smiling. She was in the nurse's room. Sabine hugged her and Tom gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Are you okay now baby?" Sabine Asked. "We're gonna bring you home early today. You fainted in class." Marinette didn't remember much about the day but what she could remember was exactly what Adrien had said before she passed out. She was praying her parents wouldn't check their emails before the weekend.


	6. Chapter 6: birthdays and battles part 2

When they got home Marinette hopped from her car seat which she had cleverly figured out how to unlock. She ran past her parents straight to the computer and didn't stop until she was seated in the big black spinning office chair.

"Marinette, what are you doing? You know you can't use the computer without permission and since you came home early today you should be resting. The screen will only damage your brain more" her mother said as she rushed inside. She put Marinette on the floor and pushed her towards her room. "Anyways you couldn't have used it anyways. I need to **check my email**." Those three words stopped Marinette in her tracks. Those three words were so little but yet so meaningful. She didn't know what to do. The computer was on and her mother was about to open up her emails. The only logical thing to do was scream at the top of her lungs. Sabine instantly shot out of the chair and ran to her. "Marinette, what is the matter with you?!" She yelled. Suddenly Marinette couldn't stop herself anymore. She burst into tears.

"I don't want you to check your email!" She gasped through the sobs. Sabine picked her up and cuddled her in her arms on the floor.

"Sweetheart, whatever is in the email can't hurt you. Why don't you want me to check my email?" She asked. She stared right into her eyes. Marinette thought it over. She couldn't let Alya go to the party alone and the second Alya's parents saw the email she was sure they'd make her go. She had to make a decision. She took a deep breath and returned the stare her mother was giving her.

"I want to tell you the news," she said sweetly. "A girl in my grade is having a party this weekend and everyone in the grade is invited. Can I... can I go?" Marinette really hated asking for such a thing. She would never dream of wanting to go to Chloe's party but she couldn't let Alya down. Plus Adrien was going to be there. Sabine gave Marinette a sweet smile.

"Of course you can go my angel. Now off to bed. We'll discuss the screaming issue tomorrow," Sabine said strictly. Marinette marched off to bed clearly annoyed with herself. She couldn't sleep for hours. It was probably because it was nearly 7 hours before her bedtime but she thought it was because she was so upset about the teacher forcing everyone to go to a party none of them intended to attend.

Th next morning at 5:000am Marinette couldn't take it any longer. She had been in bed way too long. She hopped out of bed and ran straight for her parent's room. She climbed the massive king sized bed all the way up to her sleeping father's stomache. Once her face was as close as possible to his she screamed.

"Daddy! Wake up!" She yelled. He jumped with a start and Marinette nearly did a backwards flip off of him. He was on his feet and she was on her butt. "Ow! Mommy," Marinette cried. Her mother instantly woke up and scurried to the other side of the bed to find her very distressed husband and sobbing child.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?" She asked. She was very confused for it was early and all she had seen from the incident was the aftermath. "My poor baby! Precious, are you okay?" She asked as she scooped up Marinette in her arms. She soothingly rubbed her back. "Let's go get you in a warm bath. The school called and since it's friday you're allowed to stay home for the rest of the week to rest. Today plus Saturday will give you lots of time to feel rested and better for Sunday." Sabine went and got the water ready while Marinette grabbed some clothes. When Sabine came in she asked, "So what would you like to get for Chloe's birthday present?" Marinette winced. She forgot she actually had to get the little brat a present.

"How bout a cage?" She whispered under her breath.

"What was that dear?" Sabine asked.

"Um... how bout a dog they're all the rage," she lied. Sabine gave her a weird look.

"Um I don't think Chloe's parents would approve of a live pet. How about we get her that sewing machine you said you would die for? You said it would be any girl's dream to own it," Sabine suggested. Marinette grimaced. She hated the thought of giving her dream present to that witch.

"A beauty set would be more to Chloe's liking," Marinette said. "Even though she isn't pretty," she added quietly. Marinette sighed in a breath of relief when Sabine didn't hear her. Tom walked in and handed Marinette her stuffed toy that she left in his room.

"I'll go do the toy shopping. You can handle the screamer," he teased. He stuck out his tongue and Marinette happily returned the face. "Love you monkey," he said as he walked towards the car.

Sunday approached too soon for Marinette's liking. She had to rebathe and this time her hair was washed and dried. Her lovely hair was pulled into a high ponytail which was decorated with a large red ribbon. Her outfit included a red velvet dress that went just past her knees and some darling little black boots. Covering her ears were two ladybug clip on earrings. Sabine handed her the wrapped gift and strapped her in her car seat. As they drove towards the Bourgeois mansion in the baby blue Honda Marinette's mood just kept weekening. The only thing keeping her spirit up was knowing she would see her best friend and her crush very soon. When they arrived she walked by her mother to the door and reached on her tippy toes to try to grab the knocker.

"I'll get it," Sabine said. She pulled and dropped the big handle on the two wooden doors and suddenly they swung open to reveal Chloe's devilish grin awaiting behind them.

"Hello Marinette," She said snobbishly. "I'm so happy you came. Please come in." Her smile was so fake it was hard to believe her mother didn't notice. She grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. For a few minutes she chatted with Mr. Bourgeois and then left. Marinette was left to fend for herself. She suddenly spotted Alya and ran over to her with open arms.

"Oh girl, I'm so glad you're here. I wouldn't have survived if I was alone much longer. Adrien and Nino aren't here yet," said Alya. They walked hand in hand to the bouncy castle where they jumped for hours. It was really only a few minutes but to two kids having fun it felt like hours. "Watch this!" Alya screamed as she did an amazing backflip and landed. Marinette was amazed.

"Alya! Alya! Look the boys are here!" Marinette said suddenly spotting them entering. Chloe was nowhere in sight so she ran as fast as she could to Adrien. "Hi Adrien!" She yelled enthusiastically. She gave him a big hug.

"Hi Mari, I thought you weren't coming. I'm so glad you're here!" He said. "Is Alya here too?" He asked hopefully. Marinette nodded and he squealed with glee. "Yay now we can celebrate together!" He grabbed Nino and marinette's hands and ran towards the bouncy castle. The played for a few more minutes before Mr. Bourgeois announced games.

"My little angel decided she wanted to pick every game and even though I don't approve of all of them," he said as he stared right towards Adrien. "My princess will have whatever she wants for her birthday. Everyone listen to Chloe."

"Thanks daddy!" Chloe cheered. "The first game is called truth or dare." She looked straight towards Adrien. "Everyone sit in a circle. Adrien sit next to me!" Everyone got in a huge circle. "Here's how the game works. The person on this side of you gets to ask you truth or dare and you choose one. If you choose truth you have to answer a question and you can't lie and if you choose dare you have to do whatever the person says. Sabrina will start. Go!"

"Um... Chloe truth or dare?" She asked nervously.

"Dare," She said eyeing Adrien. She leaned in close to Sabrina and whispered, "Don't mess this up." Sabrina gulped.

"Uh. Uh. I dare Chloe to kiss Adrien," she said rather slowly and unsure of herself. Chloe smiled.

"Okay, but only cause it's a dare. You don't mind right Adrikins?" She asked full of glee. Mr. Bourgeois gave Adrien the death glare but he didn't interrupt.

"I guess not," he said doubtfully. Marinette's eyes widened and she nearly fainted again but she kept her composure and watched as Chloe puckered up and kissed the love of her life's cheek. Adrien wiped his cheek and stuck out his tongue. Chloe smiled.

"Adrien truth or dare?" Chloe asked.

"Dare. I'm a bad boy," he said giggling. Chloe's smile grew even wider.

"I dare you to kiss me," She said. Adrien looked shocked. "On the lips." Adrien grimaced.

"Ew, that's gross! No way!" He shouted. Mr. Bourgeois looked pleased but Chloe wasn't having any of it.

"Then you lose and you're not a real bad boy," she teased. Adrien looked about ready to explode.

"Yes I am!" He screamed. She looked at him happily.

"Prove it," she said and with that he spun around and planted a big kiss right on her lips. "Eeeeeeeeh!" Chloe was ecstatic. Mr. Bourgeois was in rage.

"That's enough truth or dare," he yelled.

"Daddy! You're gonna ruin my party," Chloe whined. Mr. Bourgeois was going to argue but when he saw her sad face he couldn't. He let the game continue but stayed very close to watch.

"It's my turn now. Alya truth or dare?" Adrien asked. He still looked dazed and disgusted from the kiss but he was gonna troop on if it meant he was a bad boy.

"Truth."

"Do you pick your nose?" He asked. Everyone in the group said ew and laughed. Adrien was pretty happy he made everyone smile.

"Of course not! Only boys pick there noses! That's yucky," she said defensively. Adrien gave her an innocent smile and giggled. "Marinette truth or dare?" She said still glaring at Adrien.

"Dare, I'm adventurous," she said hoping to impress Adrien.

"I dare you to kiss Adrien on the lips just like he did with Chloe," she said gleefully. Chloe was very unpleased.

"Maybe it is time for the game to stop," she interrupted rudely.

"No way! It's my turn to dare and since you got a turn everyone deserves a turn," Alya said angrily.

"She's right you know. Everyone deserves a turn," said Adrien. Chloe was going to protest but she didn't want Adrien to think she was being rude.

"Fine!" She said. "Just get it over with!" Marinette looked towards Adrien and smiled shyly.

"Adrien was pretty unhappy about kissing Chloe. I don't want to be rude," she said selflessly. She knew this could be one of her only chances to kiss him but she didn't want him to hate her. Adrien winked at her.

"It's fine. We're besties and the kiss wasn't that gross. Plus I'm a bad boy," Adrien said showing off. That was all Marinette needed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head towards his. The kiss was magical. They were still super young so it meant nothing but little did they know it would effect their whole lives. "Wow, not bad," he said. Everyone laughed and stuck out their tongues.

"Ooh Marinette and Adrien are in love," they all chanted.

"Ew, no we're not!"Adrien protested. Marinette was too high in the clouds to realize anything. She took her seat next to Alya again and daydreamed for the rest of the game. She hardly knew what she was doing when she dared Nino to do a handstand and sing. She didn't even pay attention. The rest of the game was pretty ordinary. Some dares and some truths. Nothing special. After the game finally ended Chloe announced cake and all the kids cheerfully ran to the dining hall. Marinette sat right next to Adrien and barely touched her triple chocolate surprise cake. All she could do was stare and think about the kiss. She was so little but she felt so grown up. She didn't really want to kiss again because she thought it was pretty gross but she did want Adrien to be hers. She couldn't wait till they were older and she asked him on their very first date.


	7. Chapter 7: back to school and romance

The weekend was over and it was time for school. Marinette decided to be lazy with her outfit today and wear some overalls and a blue top. It kind of clashed with her eyes but she didn't care. She was four, she didn't care about fashion. Atleast not yet. She grabbed $2 from her father for lunch and started walking to school with her mother. Most school days went by like this. Getting dressed causally, grabbing lunch or money, and heading to school. School was pretty much the same all the time too. She would do some assignments, eat lunch, finish a craft, and head out for recess. Nothing much changed and Marinette liked it this way. All except the part where nothing changed between her and Adrien. She would see him and play with him but they never again shared a kiss much less started a relationship. She knew it was for the better though. She wasn't officially allowed to date till middle school so it didn't matter anyways. She knew she was way far away from a serious relationship and she was okay with that. She just wished Adrien liked her.

One bleak day full of rain finally brought the change Marinette was looking for but it wasn't with her and Adrien. It was with another young couple in her class. It was Valentine's Day and you were expected to bring cards for everyone. Marinette decided to make heart shaped cards with glitter all over them. Adrien brought sci-fi cards and Alya brought bunny ones. They were from Easter from the year before but once she crossed off Easter with whiteout and wrote Valentine's Day they were good as new. Nino was unique with his cards. He and his mom made unique cards for everyone in his class. Adrien got a painting one to represent his love of art, Marinette got a pink one for her love of pink, and Alya go a special one. It was as big as her head decorated with hearts, flowers, and carefully crafted cursive letters that said, 'Alya, please be my valentine. Your loving personality always makes my heart flutter with joy. Be mine. Love your very good friend, Nino.' Alya stick out her tongue and said ew but you couldn't help but notice the smile on her face and gleam in her eye.

"That's really sweet Nino," She said shyly. "I'll be your valentine on one condition." Nino waited eagerly for the one simple condition that would keep him from his love. "No kissing!" She giggled. Nino smiled and softly touched her hand.

"Deal!" He shouted joyfully. The class went to lunch and all the way there the new 'couple' was holding hands and skipping happily.

"Ew,"Adrien joked to Marinette as they walked. Marinette gave him a shy smile and kept walking. When they entered Alya and Nino were at a different table than usual. Marinette marched over to them and asked what was up? Alya told her they needed alone time and she could go sit with Adrien. Marinette now understood. Alya gave her a wink and a push and she headed off to find their usual table. Chloe and Sabrina were already there. Chloe was on his left side and on her left was her BFF. Marinette gladly took her seat next to Adrien. Sitting on his right was a sign she was the right match for him. Please excuse the pun. Marinette saw Chloe snobbish glare at her and grab Adrien's arm.

"Adrikins, wanna play leap frog with us at recess?" She gave him her puppy dog eyes and he simply sighed and looked away.

"Sorry Chloe but I promised Marinette we'd play hopscotch together this recess." Marinette was dumbfounded. He had made no such promise. Why had he ditched Chloe for her? She got her answer later at recess. "Sorry to put you under the bus like that but I think you're right. Lately Chloe hasn't been the nicest person." Marinette tried not to roll her eyes. Lately? She's never been even the kind of nicest person. Marinette decided to hold the sass and just agree though. She didn't want Adrien more upset than he already was. "So Marinette I have to ask a favor..." he said shyly. "I told Chloe I was hanging with you today after school cause she asked me to come to her house and I couldn't think of an excuse so please can you ask your mom if I can come to your house?" He blurted fast. Marinette was surprised. She had never seen him so desperate.

"Of course Adrien. That's what friends do, right?" She said blushing.

"Oh Marinette! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And by the way we are definitely more than friends," he said happily. Marinette's eyes widened. Did this mean.. no it couldn't. She couldn't have a relationship in kindergarten. She was too young! "We're best friends obviously!" He shouted. Oh. That's what he meant. Of course it's what he meant. Marinette gave a relieved yet disappointed nod and started drawing the chalk hopscotch path on the sidewalk. When would this torture end...


	8. Chapter 8: Moving Away Forever? Part 1

After that Valentine's drama nothing much happened in school. Very very soon summer vacation came but that's when the problem started. It was just an ordinary day. Adrien was over and they were coloring under the big tree in Marinette's backyard. The wind was blowing gently from the West and the air was cool. It was an amazing day until the clouds came. The sky became dark and they wind blew colder. Large silent drops started racing towards them. They grabbed their pictures and ran inside just in time for the bad news.

"We're moving!?" Marinette shouted angrily. "W..w.. why?" She could hardly hold back the tears. Her face matched the desolate world outside. Cold, wet, and full of darkness. "No!" She cried. Adrien was scooted back to the corner watching the whole time. Tears slid down his cheeks as well. He couldn't bear to see his best friend leave. She continued screaming and Sabine and Tom hurried to soothe her.

"Baby, I know it'll be a big change but it'll be fun. It's a brand new adventure for all of us," Sabine said calmly as she dabbed Marinette's soaked face with a tissue. Marinette's sobs didn't cease. "Daddy got a new job. You'll love America. It's so beautiful and creative there. We'll be going to live in the mountains of Colorado. I will finsih culinary school and dad will work in one of the most pristine bakeries in all of America." Marinette was hardly listening. She didn't care about the new job and house. All she cared about were her friends. Alya, Nino, and Adrien. She would miss them too much. Didn't her mother care. "And you'll make new friends and get a bigger room and yard with a pool and swing set," Sabine continued. Marinette broke free of her mother's grasp and ran to her room screaming.

"I don't care! I wanna stay here!" She yelled from her room. Sabine sighed.

"Tom can you take Adrien home? I'll talk to Marinette some more. He nodded.

"Come on Adrien. Let's bring you back to the family," said Tom. On the way there Adrien began with the questions.

"Are you really moving? How far is Colorado? Can I visit often? Will she still go to the same school as me?..." He was so worried he was permanently losing his best friend. Tom sucked in his breath and slowly began to answer his many questions.

"Yes. Too far. Sadly no. And no again," he said solemnly. Adrien shut up after he heard the answers. He needed time to think. What could he do about this? The answer was nothing. Absolutely nothing.


	9. Chapter 9: moving away part 2

Marinette was sitting upon her bed watching as Adrien and Alya slowly packed her clothes into big brown boxes.

"Maybe if we don't pack I won't have to move," she said hopefully. Her friends glanced at her and she frowned with dismay. Her plan would never work. If she didn't pack her parents would for her. If she didn't get in the car her parents would pick her up and place her in the car. There was no getting out of this. She was moving tomorrow. Most of the van was packed full of boxes. All that was left was the drawers and beds. She hopped off the bed and began helping her friends. It was dead silent. None of them spoke a word. "Mom said we may be able to visit for Christmas," She chirped cheerfully but her cheer was fake and everyone knew it. It would be difficult for them to make the trip back and forth every holiday. It would be nearly impossible. Tom would get paid well but the house was big, the prices were raised, and Sabine's schooling would be expensive. Taking such long plane trips would simply cost too much and even though Marinette hardly understood finance she knew they couldn't handle many trips to Paris. As they finished up Tom came in to disassemble the bed and bring everything to the moving van. Marinette and Alya placed sleeping bags for themselves on the ground. Now that they were not babies Adrien would have to sleep in the other room. He rolled out his bag in the kitchen and the children were fast asleep. The sunrise awoke Marinette as the blazing light filtered through her stain glass window. The pink and blue light danced around the room as the sun slowly rose. She shook Alya and she nearly slapped her as she abruptly sat up. "Wakey wakey eggs and bacey," Marinette tried to smile but all she could do was try not to cry. It was moving day. The girls slumped into the kitchen to see Adrien was already eating his breakfast. Sabine had went to the restaurant down the street and had brought home pancakes as a surprise. Alya quickly perked up but Marinette hardly noticed the tantalizing smell the delicious breakfast was giving off. She pushed herself onto a chair and started eating an apple.

"What's wrong Marinette? Don't you want pancakes?" Sabine asked. Marinette shook her head.

"No, I'm not that hungry..." her voice trailed off as she bit into the last bite of her apple. She climbed off the chair and headed for her room. "I guess I better pack up my sleeping bag." Sabine couldn't help but feel bad for her. She couldn't imagine the dread of leaving the only home she'd ever known and all her friends at such a young age. Marinette's friends hopped off their chairs and ran straight towards her room to see her lying to the floor crying. She looked up at them and choked out the words, "I... don't... wanna... move!"

"We understand. We don't want you to move either," they said. Suddenly they were all in a group hug crying together. "Too bad Nino isn't here. He's gonna be so sad he missed saying goodbye to Marinette." Only moments later Tom came into the room.

"Its time to go," he said slowly. The friends looked up through tears eyes. They held hands all the way to the car. Marinette was hugged, and then buckled in. Adrien, Alya, and their families watched as the car and van slowly moved out of the driveway and drove away. Adrien instantly turned to his father for affection but his father was solemn as usual. His mother had died 2 months before and Mr. Agreste hadn't been the same since. His father had always been closed off but once she died he had become more cold even towards him. Marinette had attended the funeral. She sat right next to Adrien and held his hand as he cried. Adrien was remembering that now. Marinette had always been there for him and now... he was losing her. Alya was already in her car seat. She told her mother she didn't want to stay here. It reminded her too much of her best friend. Adrien forcefully grabbed his father's hand. If his best friend couldn't be there to support him he would need his father's love and he was going to get it no matter what. Gabriel was surprised but didn't let go. They walked to the limo and got in. It would be years before they saw Marinette again but rest assure they would wait


	10. Chapter 10: a new life

Even though she missed her friends terribly Marinette quickly adjusted. She loved her new room and yard. There was a swingset, a pool, a slide, and a hot tub! Marinette's room was downstairs in the basement. It was very roomy. She had the whole basement to herself. Her bedroom and then a walkway leading to her playroom and connected to her bedroom on the other side was her own personnel bathroom which was adjusted for her size. A stool was added for the sink and toilet and the whole entire basement was decorated in pink. Her mother even made her a fake stain glass window with a mystical garden scene as the view. When school started she made friends very fast. Blythe, Jackson, and Raissa were her new friends. They came over all the time and even though she didn't totally forget Paris it was slowly seeping from her mind. She loved her new life and that's all that mattered to her. She went to private school and learned all types of new subjects. She learned violin, guitar, piano, pottery, singing, ballet, soccer, and softball. She was becoming increasingly popular throughout the years. She made many friends but her three best friends still remained. Everyone loved her. This was the life she loved and she didn't ever want to turn back until...

It was another Saturday evening. Jackson was over. Marinette was in 6th grade now. They were just studying for a math test when suddenly Jackson arose.

"Marinette," he said shyly. "I know you only think of us as friends but the truth is I really like you. I mean like like you. So I would like to ask you... will you go to the spring dance with me? Please?" He blurted. Marinette was shocked. She never knew of his feelings. She considered it and finally decided that yes was the best answer. She was finally allowed to date and who better for her first relationship than her best friend? She shyly nodded and he ran over to hug her. "You won't regret it!" He said as he ran towards the door. "Gotta go. Lots of preparing to do before next week!" She smiled as he sprinted out the door. Well now that the excitement was all over she could get back to studying atleast. Right after she looked back down at her paper her mom walked in.

"Hey sweetie, guess who's on the phone?" She asked excitedly. Marinette gave it a quick thought and guessed Blythe. "No Adrien!" She yelled. Marinette didn't know what to think. She hadn't received one phone call from him since she left. He wasn't allowed to use his father's phone at all. Alya on the other hand called all the time. There was always some big news and catching up to do with that girl.

"Really?" She asked nervously. Sabine nodded and handed her the phone. She slowly put it to her ear. "Hello?" She said quietly.

"Marinette?" Said a really peppy voice. "Is it really you?" It asked.

"Uh yeah. Is this Adrien?" She asked.

"Of course! I can't believe we finally get to talk. It's been years! I miss you so much! My dad just got me a phone, isn't that cool?" He asked eagerly. He was so happy to talk to her. Marinette was less ecstatic. After so long you don't really know what to say to someone. You don't know how they've changed.

"I guess."

"So whatcha been up to bestie?" He said. She cringed at the word. The were hardly friend anymore let alone besties.

"Not much? You," she answered.

"Well Chloe got kicked out of school and..." Marinette already knew this. Alya had told her earlier that week.

"I gotta go," she interrupted. "Bye." She said stubbornly.

"Oh I just... I thought you'd want to talk longer. It's been so long, ya know?" He said suddenly unhappy. "Bye." Marinette felt bad but she really didn't want to talk to him. She had nothing to say to him. She hardly knew him anymore. She gave her mom the house phone and silently put his number into her mobile. She called the contact 'ex friend' and gave him a one word message. 'Marinette' it was just to tell him who it was incase he ever decided to talk again. She couldn't believe she ever thought they'd end up together someday. He was way too happy for her. Her personality had changed dramatically since she had left. She was less of her happy self. She was more outgoing but she was less social. She never seemed to be satisfied. Her life just lacked in the excitement category. Marinette was no longer Marinette. She was just Ms. Dupen Cheng. She had lost her spirit.


	11. Chapter 11: Heading back

"PARIS?!" Marinette yelled. "We're movingg back to Paris? No way! We can't! I love it here! Jackson just asked me to the spring dance, Raissa and Blythe will miss me too much, and I hardly know anyone there anymore! You can't do this to me!" She screamed and ran to her room slamming the door behind her. Sabine and Tom had just finished telling her they were moving back to Paris. Tom was finally getting his very own bakery in Paris! It would be a once in a lifetime chance and he took it. They were moving back at the end of the school year. Marinette didn't know what to think. How would she tell her friends? Alya would be excited but her American friends would be less than pleased and what about Jackson. Was their relationship ending before it begun? No one in Paris would remember her. She had been gone for years. All the friends she used to have would have changed. She would have to learn how to fit in all over again. Also things had been left off so awkwardly with Adrien. He had texted a few times informing her about his life and stuff. She didn't really respond. She would say "cool" or "k' or something like that but never actually answer his questions or talk with him. Ugh, what would she do? She decided the best thing to do to calm her nerves is to talk to Alya. Blythe and Raissa would be too sad to talk but Alya would most likely be the most encouraging person right now. She picked up her phone and dialed the number.

"Hey girl, what's new? We just talked this morning, do you miss me already?" She asked jokingly. Marinette smiled. Alya's voice was so soothing. She couldn't help it.

"I gotta tell you something but don't freak out,"Marinette said nervously.

"Okay I won't. What's up?"

"I'm moving back to Paris..." she whispered. For a second there was silence then a loud scream could be heard all over Paris and probably America too.

"OMG REALLY?! YOU BETTER NOT BE MESSING WITH ME GIRL! OMG I CANT BELEIVE IT. I GOTTA TELL EVERYONE. EVEYRONE WILL BE ECSTATIC. NINO AND ADRIEN WILL BE THRILLED BUT SO WILL ALL OUR OTHER FRIENDS!" She couldn't stop yelling.

"I told you not to freak out.." she said calmly. "It's not a big deal."

"NOT A BIG DEAL! YOURE MOVING BACK TO PARIS! ID CALL THAT A BIG DEAL! OMG I GOTTA TELL EVERYONE. TTYL, LUV YA!" She hung up. Marinette breathed in slowly. Well that was helpful... it actually made her feel kind of better. She knew people (or atleast Alya) missed her and would accept her. Now came the hard part... telling the friends she would be leaving...


	12. Chapter 12: Getting ready

"Hey," Marinette said shyly. Jackson had just entered the cafe they were meeting at. Blythe and Raissa had already arrived and were sipping their smoothies which Marinette had graciously paid for. It was time to tell her friends she was to move when summer came. Summer was a long ways away. She still had more than a quarter of the school year left but she knew it wouldn't feel like that when she told them. "Sit down, I got to tell you guys something." Jackson smiled but marinette's face remained seldom. He instantly picked up on the mood and gave her a look that said are you okay without actually having to say anything. She didn't return his look. "I... I'm moving," she said. "To Paris..." shock filled the room. It felt like they were the only 4 people in the truthfully crowded cafe.

"When?!" Blythe demanded. She was the first to speak.

"This summer so we still have a lot of time together," Marinette said trying to ease the tension. She knew 2 months wouldn't feel like two months. It would feel like mere days but she couldn't say that. It would just make everyone more sad.

"This summer?!" Raissa squealed. "I can't believe it. Why?!" The girls stared at Marinette longingly.

"My dad is opening a cafe there..." she looked at her feet sadly. "He says it will be a great opportunity. Jackson didn't say a word. Marinette was starting to worry he was mad at her. What had she done? She couldn't control her parents decision. "Jackson. Are you upset with me?" She looked over at him pleadingly hoping her first real love wouldn't end like this. He stared at the table for a minute then shook his head.

"Of course not. It's just," he started. "I really like you. Like I like like you. I just don't know how we can start something beyond friendship if you'll be leaving soon."

"I know it will be hard but I like like you too," She said suddenly blushing. They smiled at each other. "Let's just go to the dance together and see what happens. He nodded.

"Okay." He said. The girls kept talking about the move and how they would miss her too much to bare. They would keep telling her that she had to promise to keep in touch and someday visit. She promised and then they started discussing who they were taking to the dance. Marinette would occasionally steal a glance toward Jackson who was still sitting at the table listening to the whole conversation.

"What are you gonna wear?" Said Blythe enthusiastically. It seemed like everyone had already forgotten about the move. The mood was light and happy again. Everything was right with the world... atleast for now.

 _ **NEXT WEEK:**_

"Come on Mari!' Yelled Blythe. "We need to get to the best dresses before they're sold out!" They girls were dress shopping for the upcoming dance. It was this Saturday and the three had decided to all go shopping together and sleep at Raissa's house the night before so they could all get ready together too. Raissa was far ahead of Blythe and Marinette. She was admiring a dress with a lovely shade of pink.

"It's cupid blush," she said when her friends appeared. "I love the cut. Should I get it?" Marinette inspected the gown. It was a beautiful dress with a sweetheart neckline and bustle skirt. A bright red rose was imbedded to the matching sash that was tied around the waist. Marinette thought the color would definitely compliment Raissa's skin tone.

"I love it!" She piped. "You should totally get it!"

"Cool," said Raissa. "I think I will. Now I'm gonna go find some shoes while you get cracking on your own dress search," she said giggling. The girls gave her two thumbs up and she ran towards the shoe section, being careful not to wrinkle her dress. Blythe started walking by the aisles of dresses eyeing each one as she passes by.

"Oh Marinette," she whined. "How will I ever choose? I don't know which one will look best on me!" Marinette looked over her friend carefully. Blythe was quite short. She had long blonde hair that was straight as a stick but still beautiful. Her peach skin complimented her big blue eyes and her long lashes looked absolutely stunning. Small light freckles covered most of her body. She really was a sight. So beautiful, so dainty, so elegant. Marinette knew she'd look great in anything. She was even kind of jealous.

"How about this one?" She suggested. The dress in question was a gorgeous dark blue number with a pleated skirt and short sleeves. Blythe instantly fell in love.

"OMG ITS PERFECT!" She yelled. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Marinette you're the absolute best! I never would have noticed it without your help! It's stunning! I love it!" Blythe could barely hold her excitement. Mari was very pleased with herself. Now it was time to pick out a dress for herself. Picking a dress for her friends was easy. She could look at them and imagine what they'd look like at the dance and find a dress that matches. She didn't really know what would look best in. Maybe blue? "Omg Mari!" Blythe interrupted her thoughts. "Look what I found you." Marinette turned around and saw a dress so amazing she couldn't even start to imagine it. Know she knew how her friends had felt when they had seen their perfect dresses. Marinette's smile nearly reached her eyes it was so wide. She was completely speechless. She nodded with joy and Blythe could tell it was the one. "Let's go find Raissa." She said joyfully. The girls locked arms and happily skipped to show their friend their exuberant gowns. They couldn't wait till the dance.


	13. Chapter 13: spring dance

It was the big night. The girls were all ready with their dazzling gowns and professionally done hair and makeup. Jackson, Alex, and Nathan (the girl's dates) would meet them there. The dance started at 7 and ended at 10. Everyone was super excited for their first ever "late night" dance. They hopped in Carley's (Raissa's mom) car and drove off to the dance. When they arrived the boys were waiting on the school steps. They looked very handsome. All of them were dressed in black suits and had ties matching their date's dresses. They glanced over right when the girls arrived. First came Raissa. Alex's eyes widened. He thought she looked lovely. The dress defientley suited her. They locked arms and headed in right when Blythe came out. The pair locked eyes and what would have been two friends at the dance instantly became more. Love was blooming. Blythe waved bye to Marinette and told her to meet up later. Then she skipped over to her much taller date. They were still adorable even with the height gap. The last girl to exit the vehicle was Marinette and as Jackson put it, "last but certainly not least". He was so dumbfounded by her beauty he couldn't even begin to comprehend where he was.

"Hey Mari, you look nice," he stuttered. Marinette laughed and boldly grabbed his arm.

"Let's go in," she smiled. He nodded.

"Okay," they both blushed and walked in. The whole gym was lit up. Lights were everywhere and the decorations were beautiful. The theme was summer days. The smell of the beach was mimicked with a scent machine and all sorts of tropical flowers were hung up. A Hawaiian paradise was painted on the wall and the roof had stars everywhere. "How romantic," Jackson said. Marinette nodded and gazed at the beautiful paintings.

"The art club did an amazing job, don't you think?" She asked dreamily.

"Yeah but you know these paintings could never begin to measure up to the beauty standing right in front of me," he said. Marinette blushed again.

"That's sweet. How about we dance now?" She asked.

"Yeah. Sounds good." They walked onto the dance floor and wrapped their arms around eachother. Jackson with his arms around her waist and Marinette with her arms around his neck. They looked so perfect together. It's hard to believe they won't end up together in the end. "Marinette, May I ask you something?" He looked nervous.

"Of course my prince," she teased.

"I really really like you and I don't want it to end once you leave. So I was wondering... will you be my long distance girlfriend?" He asked quickly. Marinette wasn't shocked. She wanted to say yes but would it work. They would be so far away. "I promise to visit as much as possible. My dad works as a pilot so he gets free airplane tickets all the time." Marinette smiled.

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend. It may take time to adjust but we can do it," she said shyly. "I really like you too." They kept dancing and when it was over it turned out to be one of the best nights of their lives. They were finally a couple. Raissa and Blythe were excited to hear the news and even had news of their own. Their dates had asked them out too. Triple dating was coming their way and they loved it. Life was good and Marinette was just hoping moving to Paris wouldn't change it.


	14. Chapter 14: Saying Goodbye

"Hey sweetie," said Jackson. They were on a date. Marinette was staring into his eyes and trying to read him. She didn't even notice he had spoken. "Marinette?" He asked. Marinette blinked and saw his concerned look.

"Oh sorry baby. I'm a little preoccupied. Ya know, since I'm leaving tomorrow?" She said. She hoped the day would never come but tomorrow she would have to say goodbye. "What's up?"

"I'm really gonna miss you, you know that right?" He asked. She nodded doubtfully. Was he about to break up with her? She could hear the hesitation in his voice but then he laughed. "You're not gonna cheat on me in Paris right? All those French boys will be tempting." She laughed with him.

"Of course not! Now stop messing around. I want to talk with you a bit longer before I have to leave. You're gonna be there when I leave tomorrow, right?" She asked. He smiled and held her hand.

"Oui," he joked.

 **The next morning:**

Marinette was grabbing the last bits of her belongings. The sleeping bag she had been using for the past week, her purse, her lamp, and of course the last poster she had left on her wall. It was a picture of her at school with her friends. She wanted to keep it up as long as possible. She shoved it into her purse and zipped it up being careful not to rip it. Then she slowly trudged to the door making sure she gave the house one last look around. She searched every wall and floor hoping it would somehow provide a hint that this was all just a big joke and she would be staying forever. When she reached the door she stood an extra minute longer just to savor the moment but once she stepped out it was all over. Her suitcase was packed in the trunk the night before and everything else had already been flown to Paris a week ago. Jackson, Raissa, Blythe, Alex, Nathan, and some of her other close friends were waiting outside along with her father and mother.

"Guess it time to go," she said sadly. She looked over all the faces watching her and some part of her heart just shattered. She burst into tears and ran back to the house. She didn't make it too far though. She tripped on the front steps and skimmed her knees. It just made her cry harder. The group ran to her. Jackson was the first to reach her. She couldn't look at him. She didn't want to cry more. Her father stepped up and pulled her to her feet. She then went around the group and hugged each of them. When she got to Jackson she held him extra long. She knew their love would last forever somehow. Then she kissed him. It was sweet and short but it felt like magic. He looked shocked. It was their first kiss ever and little did they know it would be their last. After glancing up at him once more she rushed to the car and her parents drove off while she waved at her friends through the window. Time for a new adventure right?


	15. Chapter 15: Old introductions

Marinette gazed out the window of the plane. They were about to land. She could see the Eiffel Tower. Paris was gorgeous but Marinette couldn't appreciate it at the time. She just wished she could see the mountains of Colorado again. She was already home sick. When she got off the plane she quickly grabbed her bags and headed to the subway with her parents. They arrived to the house in less than 20 minutes. Their house/bakery was on the corner of two streets and you could clearly see the Tower from where they lived. It was a little smaller than their old house but Sabine and Tom were thrilled. Marinette was less than ecstatic. She pointed out every single thing wrong with the house in the first 5 minutes; starting with the fact that her room was on the third floor! She'd have to climb there every day. She could think of a million other "problems" with the house and voiced her opinions to her household openly. Sabine and Tom understood. She was angry and they didn't want to make the situation worst so they tried to agree with her without saying she was right.

"Why's my room so high up?! It'll take forever to carry all my stuff up there!" She screamed.

"Well yes but think of the positive. Your room is very unique Andy when your friends visit they'll love entering through the secret pull down staircase and you also get to have the roof all to yourself. You can climb up there whenever you want and stare at the stars before bed," Sabine suggested. "Doesn't that sound fun?" It didn't sound kind of cool but Mari wasn't going to admit it. She was still pretty upset and couldn't let her mother think she liked the move.

"Well maybe but I can think of a hundred more reasons of why this move was a terrible idea!" She shouted. Why'd she sound to bratty? She was beginning to sound like Chloe and that was something she definitely didn't want to happen. "I guess I'll try to get used to it..." she said all of a sudden. Sabine's hopeless expression suddenly changed. Was Marinette finally seeing the bright side of the move? "It can't be too bad," she said. Sabine hugged her. "Probably," she whispered. Sabine was too overcome with joy to notice her say that.

"Oh honey! That's great!" Tom said barging into the conversation. "Now how 'bout we take a walk over to the Césaire's place so you can rekindle some old friendships before school starts on Monday. Marinette smiled. She hoped Alya was as nice as she was back in the day. Maybe it'd be like she never left. Alya was the one and only reason she still sort of liked Paris.

"Yeah, Let's go," She said enthusiastically. Tom and Sabine were so proud that their little girl was trying to make the most of the situation. "I can't wait." She even smiled a little. She was sort of excited. She took a quick shower so she wouldn't look too terrible while seeing her old best friend. Then they were off. Little did she know that someone was watching her...

When they arrived Alya welcomes her with open arms; literally. She instantly grabbed her in her arms and hugged her so tight she could barely breathe.

"OMG I MISSED YOU SO FREAKING MUCH! I CANT BELEIVE YOU'RE BACK!" She screamed so loud the entire city of Paris could hear her. Marinette welcomes the embrace and hugged her friend back. The sisterly love was back and Marinette couldn't be happier. Maybe Paris wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be. The girls stayed up all night talking. Sabine and Tom had allowed Marinette to sleep over. They were already closer then they were before. They practically knew everything about eachother by the morning. "So.." Alya asked. "Truth or dare?" It was the third game of truth and dare they had played that night. There was just too much to ask. Marinette pretended to think it over even though she knew perfectly well what she was going to say.

"Truth," She said dramatically for effect. Alya playfully pushed her.

"Boring!" She yelled. "Lol! Do you still like Adrien?" She asked. Marinette was speechless. She didn't expect that. It had been too long. She hardly knew him.

"Of course not! Did I forget to mention Jackson? We're dating now. Isn't that cool? He's really sweet," she said dreamily. Alya laughed and pushed her again.

"I still think boys are yucky," she joked. They burst into seemingly endless laughter and forgot all about Adrien. Or... atleast Alya did.


	16. Chapter 16: Just the Norm

It was Marinette's first day of 7th grade. Alya was sitting on her bed deciding which jeans to wear.

"Marinette! I can't decide. I need your help! Will you come down from there?" Screamed Alya. Marinette glanced down at the bottom bunk of her bed.

"You can't wear jeans for the first day. We need to stand out. Wear the skirt," replied Marinette dazily. "We can match. You can wear orange and I'll wear red. Then we'll wear the white tops and French braid our hair with the string."

"Wow, you really planned this, huh?" Said Alya. Marinette shook her head. Style came naturally to her. She dressed nice all the time back in Colorado. It was hard to fit in so she had to look good constantly. It's just what everyone did. It was the norm.

"Marinette! Alya! Hurry down! Breakfast is ready!" Called Sabine from the bakery. They got dressed and raced down the stairs with hope for the first day spinning around their minds. Marinette had decided a few days ago that even though Paris would never compete with Colorado it was pretty okay. She already had her best friend back. What could go wrong?


	17. Chapter 17: First day of school

Marinette and Alya were standing on the steps that would lead to the rest of their middle school careers. They were holding hands as they stared upon the great doors that would open to reveal how 7th grade was really like. They took a deep breath and walked through them. The second they walked through they could already hear the soft pitter patter of new shoes and the excited chit chat among old friends reuniting. They looked around and saw the sights. To Alya everything was the same. This is the school she went to the year before anyways but to Marinette it was a whole new world. New faces, new hallways, new rules, and a brand new school. She couldn't handle it. The pressure to be perfect started sinking in. She had already messed up once today and that was enough. Chloe was back in school and meaner than ever. An old man had fell while crossing the street and Marinette had run to help him just in time for Chloe to see her get down on her knees and help him. She didn't notice the small detailed box he had tucked in her bag because Chloe was making sure she was the center of her attention.

"Marinette Dupen Cheng," She snarled dramatically. "Is it really you? It's been too long," she said sarcastically. "I can't beleive that after all these years you finally decided to move back. Well I hope Paris isn't too high end for a country girl like yourself." She faked a smile and swayed back to her locker with a girl Marinette recognized as Sabrina following close behind her. Marinette was surprised to see Chloe managed to hold a friend that long. She sure was as mean as she remembered. She was also kind of offended Chloe considered her a country girl. She lived in a city in Colorado not in the middle of nowhere. She thought of herself as high fashion and didn't need some bratty French girl cramping her style. She decided her best bet would be to ignore her. Suddenly she heard a squeal so high she thought it must have been from the smallest little girl ever that the sound came from but no. It was Nino.

"MARINETTE! OMG!" He screamed. "I can't beleive you're back!" He ran over and hugged her so tightly she thought she would suffocate. She was turning blue but he couldn't let go. It had been too long. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to say goodbye all those years ago." Marinette hadn't even remembered that he wasn't there but the fact he remembered made her happy for some reason. She felt at home. She felt relaxed and happy and she felt like herself again. She hugged him again. Then she noticed something she hadn't before. Adrien was nowhere in sight. Where was he? She hadn't seen him yet and she presumed he would be with his best friend but he was nowhere near Nino. She didn't want to admit it but she had kind of missed him in Colorado. They certainly weren't best friends anymore and she had no feelings for him but she wanted to see him. She wanted to rekindle the friendship. She wanted to be the four amigos again. Their group wasn't completely together again without Adrien. Just as she was about to ask she saw Adrien running through the doors. He looked winded like he was running.

"Hey guys!" He yelled from across the hall. Suddenly he locked eyes with Marinette. "Marinette!" He screamed. "I can't beleive you're really here! I missed you so much!" When he reached her he practically picked her up by the waist and swung her around. He was too excited to control himself. When he finally let her down they were still staring into eachother's eyes. "Sorry I got so excited. It's just been awhile. I really missed you." Marinette smiled. They didn't notice that half the hallway was staring at them. Seconds later Marinette felt the tension and let go of the eyelock. She looked back to Alya and laughed. "How was America? I've heard such great things about that place! You'll have to tell us all about it during lunch!" He said loudly. The four amigos were back together and already full of laughter and fun. Maybe moving back really was the best option for Marinette. Maybe it would change her life for the better...


	18. Chapter 18: Worst first day ever!

The group was at lunch together. As luck would have it they were placed in first lunch altogether and Chloe was nowhere in sight. Thank God. The group was just talking when suddenly Nathaniel came out of nowhere and tripped. His entire plate of Spaghetti landed right on top of Marinette. She fell backwards and landed on Adrien making him topple back in surprise. The whole lunchroom watched and saw Marinette and Adrien covered in pasta on the floor together when the event was over. Marinette's cheeks turned a bright shade of red and right before she could apologize to Adrien Nathaniel interrupted.

"Marinette? Is that you? I'm so sorry," he said. He lifted to her feet while Nino and Alya wiped the noodles and sauce off of Adrien's clothes. "I wasn't looking where I was going and I... I'm just so sorry." Marinette knew Nathaniel from Kindergarten. They were buddies for a little bit when Alya and her were fighting but when Alya became her best friend again Nathaniel started to fade from the picture. She wouldn't have as many play dates and eventually they just never hung out. Nathaniel wasn't even told she was leaving until after she was already gone. Marinette took a minute to study him. He looked so handsome. He grew up quite well in her opinion.

"It's been awhile," she said. He nodded. He then proceeded to ask for her phone number so they could hang out. Maybe become friends again. Marinette happily obliged. She always regretted losing friends. She thought it would be fun to have as many friends as possible. She kind of liked being the popular one at her old school. When Marinette was finished handing him her digits she went over to check on Adrien and the gang. They were busy dabbing sauce off him with napkins. Marinette starting cleaning her own clothes and hair as well. Great first impression she thought. Now she had only made a fool of herself twice. When lunch ended Adrien and Marinette were whisked away to the office to call their parents for fresh clothes. Marinette texted Jackson to see what he was doing and explain the situation. School in Colorado didn't start for another week so she wouldn't be interrupting anything. He answered the messages within seconds. Adrien noticed Marinette glancing at her phone and smiling while they waited for their parents arrival so he decided to strike up a conversation.

"So... whatcha doing?" He asked playfully. She hardly noticed. She was too lost in the blissful innocence of young love. She continued to text. "Marinette?" He asked slightly louder. She still didn't look up. He eventually tapped her on the shoulder. She was finally knocked out of her daze.

"Huh?" She asked. She looked up at him and laughed. "Sorry I was texting my boyfriend Jackson. He's really sweet and his school doesn't start till next week. He thinks the whole spaghetti thing is hilarious," she laughed. Adrien laughed with her. "So... it's been a long time. I really hope we can just start off where we left off. Ya know? Being best friends with our group and just having fun," she said. Adrien grabbed her hand and smiled. He looked into her bluebell eyes and winked.

"Of course. Anything for my bestie." He said. She giggled. Why was he so cute? Suddenly she got another alert on her phone. It said, 'you still there? ' Marinette went back to texting and ignoring and Adrien let go of her hand. Maybe it wouldn't be exactly how they left off.

 _ **30 Minutes Later:**_

Sabine entered the office with two bags full of clothes.

"Sorry it took me so long guys," she said. "Gabrielle asked if I could bring over some of Adrien's clothes too because he was busy and he had Nathalie pack practically the whole closet. He wanted to give you options." She smiled at him apologetically. She knew how hard it was to be the son of such a perfectionistic father. "He said he wanted you to wear blue for the first day because it was the signature color of his new fall line or something like that. Anyways here's the lot." She handed both bags to Adrien and then turned to her daughter and pulled a dress from her purse. "I hope it's acceptable that I only brought one choice for you," she joked. Marinette laughed and accepted the bright blue dress her mom handed her. It was the dress she wore on her first date with Jackson. She loved it. Adrien and Marinette headed to the bathrooms and changed quickly. Marinette then accompanied Adrien to his locker and tried to help shove two hefty bags into his 3 foot tall locker. When that failed she offered to keep one in her locker until the day was over. He finally agreed after one last desperate attempt to push the bags in. They were already late to class and although they had a pass it was still difficult to miss so much of Mrs. Mendeliev's daily lecture. She never repeated herself and it was nearly impossible to do the homework. Marinette and Adrien has never had her as a teacher but the rumors proved true when they got that night's assignment. According to the eighth graders Mrs. M never misses a homework assignment. She assigns one every night they have school no matter what. Even on the first and last days of school. Marinette and Adrien stared blankly at the assignment while the rest of the class started working. You miss half the first day class and suddenly you're way behind. Marinette was glad Mrs. M her only main teacher. School in Paris worked differently then school in America. Here she got two main classes and only went to other teachers for extra curricular. It felt like grade school again but she didn't mind. She got to hang out with all her friends all day long. Everyone she knew from kindergarten was in her class. Sadly that included Chloe. She saw Kim, Melen, Chloe, Sabrina, Nathaniel, Alix, Ivan, Rose, Juleka, Max, and of course her three main friends; Nino, Alya, and Adrien. When Ancient history finally ended she followed her friends to Ms. Bustier's class. Everyone loved Ms. B. She was the kind teacher that was always a friend to her students. Marinette instantly liked her. It was impossible not to. Even though the second half of the day was less eventful she sure was glad school was over. She didn't want to embarrass herself any more than she already did. In poetry Ms. Bustier had the class describe their houses and what was inside. What objects stood out? What was the color? What shape? When Marinette's turn arrived she drew a blank. She didn't have any idea of what to say but Chloe new exactly what to say.

"I think Marinette would live in a dumpster because that's where trash belongs," She snickered. She was sent to detention but not before throwing her banana peel on top of the hardened marinara sauce that was already on her head. Chloe would get out of detention. Her father was now the mayor of Paris and with one phone call she'd have herself out of detention for the entire school year no matter what she did. She marched down to the office to threaten the principal while the rest of the class began to stare at Marinette again. Alya was fuming. How dare she speak to her best friend like that? She had her arms wrapped around her to comfort her but that and the threat of suspension were the only things holding her back from chasing Chloe down the hall and starting a fight. She soothingly patted Marinette while envisioning pounding Chloe to the ground.

"Now Marinette we all know that wasn't true. You can't let little things like that get to you. Especially things said by bullies," Ms. Bustier soothed. "Now can you explain your real home?" Marinette mustered up some strength not to cry and told them about her half house half bakery. Everybody gushed over the idea and told her they would love to live in a house filled with the scent of cookies and cakes 24/7. Marinette's confidence was boosted and she continued describing the wonders that lay in her house. The View, the private roof access, and her amazing new room. Everyone loved hearing about her home. Very soon the bell rung and it was time to go home. Marinette collected her belongings and the group was headed to Marinette's house for croissants. Everything was going perfectly until Marinette tripped over spilled water and ran straight into the door. Her nose was bleeding like a watercolor painting and her clothes were ruined for the second time that day. Her dress was covered with blood water and cuts. Could this day get any worse? Adrien ran to her side and helped her to her feet. Alya already had the tissues and Nino was getting the nurse. She was slightly bruised and her dress had caught on the door but she was okay. Just really light headed. The nurse arrived and saw Marinette pitifully shoving tissues up her nose while her friends held onto either side of her arms. They helped her limp to the nurse's office and for once Marinette really hated school. Chloe made sure to snap some pictures while Marinette and her sad looking party of friends made their way through the school. Within minutes #badfirstday was trending on Twitter. Marinette didn't even want to look at herself in the mirror when she got home. Her makeup was running, her hair was covered in squishy banana and old sauce, he dress was teared and soaked, and her legs were bruising and scabbing. She never wanted to go school again. How could something so fun turn into a total nightmare? Adrien and Nino sat downstairs quietly eating their croissants while Alya comforted Marinette in her room one again. She didn't want the boys to see her like this. When she regained her composure she went down stairs to share the snack. They talked about how awful the day had been and agreed to never speak of it again. When everyone left Marinette went in her room to call Raissa and Blythe. They understood her better than anyone because she had grown up with them as her best friends. They talked about the day and it made her feel so much better. When they hung up she hopped in the shower and told herself she wouldn't give up on school so quickly. There was still a whole year to make a good impression and today had been so bad nothing could be worst. Right?


	19. Chapter 19: New Enemy's

It was the weekend after the first day of school. School had been going pretty great for the rest of the week. No accidents or incidents and Adrien and Marinette had caught up in Mrs. M's Class. Marinette was just sitting in her room thinking about the giant monster which had just invaded Paris. She had seen it all over the news. A rock monster was on a rampage and was looking for Kim. Marinette thought it was weird but she thought the voice kind of sounded like Ivan. She was thinking over this when suddenly she found a little black box in her bag. She didn't recognize it as something she had bought. When she opened it she expected to see an empty box but instead found something much cooler. A shiny light came flying out at her and she hurled the box across the room. A kwami known as Tikki flew out. Marinette freaked out.

"AHHHHHHH! It's a giant bug! Or a mouse! It's a bug mouse!" She screamed. Tikki flew closer to her as she threw any items she could get her hands on towards the kwami.

"Don't be afraid. My name isn't Tikki. I'm your kwami," she said calmy. Marinette screamed again.

"AAAHHHHHH! The bug mouse can talk!" She yelled. She reached for a cup and covered the captured the kwami.

"That's okay. We can talk this way if it makes you more comfortable. I'm Tikki," she said. Marinette calmed down slightly and listened. "I am the kwami of the ladybug miraculous. You have been chosen as the new holder. You will fight crime as a superhero and save Paris from Hawkmoth's evil." Marinette was super confused and totally in over her head.

"I can't fight crime and who's hawkmoth? Is he that giant rock monster? I can't stop him!" She kept yelling. Her breathing became heavy and she could barely think. "How am I am going to defeat him? I can't... you'll have to choose someone else. I can't do it." She said.

"Marinette, I beleive in you. Please the fate of Paris rests on your shoulders," Tikki said. Marinette nodded.

"Okay but let me go tell my parents where I'm going. I'll be right back," she answered. Tikki raced her to the door.

"NOOOO!" She yelled. "No one can know your secret identity. Not even your parents! Do you promise to keep it a secret?" She asked.

"Well," Marinette started. She saw the fear in Tikki's eyes. "Okay. I promise." Tikki gave her a mini high five and explained how to transform. "Spots on!" She yelled quietly. She transformed in a glowing vortex of magic and was now dressed as Ladybug. "Woah," she said surprised at her new look. "Tikki, um Tikki! Where are you?" She yelled. She looked herself over in the mirror and examined her gadgets. She opened a phone and saw 'Chat Noir' on speed dial. She wondered who he was but didn't waste too much time thinking about it. Paris was in trouble and it was her job to rescue it, she just didn't know how. She saw Alya on screen on tv and decided she would have to save her.

 _ **Meanwhile At The Agreste Mansion:**_

Adrien was also watching news about the attack on Paris and when he looked down he noticed a black box identical to Marinette's sitting on his table. He opened it and out popped a yawning kwami. He was much less freaked out about it but was still shocked when the floating little black cat gazed around the room.

"Cool it's like a genie in a lamp," Adrien said after recovering from the shock of a magical creature coming out of a box.

"I've met the guy. So he grants wishes. I'm way more personable," he said flying around the room. "So got anything to eat? I'm starved!" He went around looking for food and knocking things down in the process while he hurriedly explained the situation to Adrien. Adrien was chasing after him trying to catch everything he knocked down. He finally caugh that kwami between his hands.

"I'm still confused about what you are," he said.

"Look I'm a kwami. I grant powers. Yours is the power of distraction. Got it?" He asked sarcastically.

"Uh uh," he said shaking his head. He was thoroughly confused.

"Good now transform," he said.

"So what you're telling me is I'm a superhero! That is so awesome but... I don't think my father will allow that," he sad sadly. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"that's the best part about being a superhero. No one knows who you are!" He said. "Now say claws out and transform."

"Claws out!" He yelled. He jumped into an action pose and transformed as easily if he had been doing it for years. It was like he was born to be a hero. "So cool!" He shouted staring at his reflection. He hopped out the window and went to find Stone Heart. Plagg hadn't explained a lot but he had told him his mission. Defeat the monster and save Paris. Couldn't be that hard. He searched around his home and tested a few of his powers. He found an expanding stick and was walking between buildings when suddenly out of the sky came another superhero. She fell right on top of him and they got tangled in her super yo-yo hanging upside down together.

"OMG! I'm so sorry. I'm just learning," she said. They untangled themselves and got to the ground.

"you must be the partner my kwami told me about," he said. "I'm Chat Noir and you are?" He asked.

"I'm M...m..m madly clumsily. I'm sorry again," she said mumbling.

"Well clumsy girl it's okay I'm just learning the ropes too." He jumped onto a building and was about to run off when Marinette stopped him.

"Where are you going?" She yelled

"to find that monster and save Paris right?" He answered and ran back to the buildings. She reluctantly followed. When she arrived she saw Alya there. She knew Alya was interested in heroes but she didn't know she'd be willing to risk her life. She was videotaping while Chat Noir struggled to subdue the monster. Every time he hit him he got bigger and stronger. He was destroying Chat. Alya then spotted Ladybug.

"Hey bug lady aren't you gonna help him?" She yelled. Marinette was shaking but she wouldn't step down. She had to protect Alya and the rest of Paris while she was at it. Tikki had told her she had to break the thing that held the butterfly thing. She couldn't remember what it was called. All she knew was that it was important. She jumped into action next to Chat's side.

"Nice for you to show up," he joked. She laughed at his cliche. He was about to run towards the monster again but Ladybug grabbed his tail before he could get any far.

"Haven't you noticed? He gets bigger each time you attack," she whispered. He smiled.

"Well then I guess it's time to whip out my special power. Cataclysm!" He yelled. Sparkly black dots floated above his paws. He reached for a nearby soccer net to test his abilities. The net instantly turned black and shattered into millions of pieces. "So cool!" He ran off to defeat the monster.

"Wait Chat stop!" She yelled. She knew he couldn't use his ability more than once. He was too far to hear her. He reached for the monster and realized his power wasn't working.

"Uh oh," he yelled as he was kicked across the soccer field all the way to Ladybug. Hawkmoth grinned at how well his plan was going.

"Didn't your kwami tell you you could only use your power once? And now you only have five minutes before you change back!" Ladybug scolded. Chat flashed an innocent smile.

"I was kind of excited," he said.

"I guess it's up to me then. Lucky Charm!" She yelled. Out of thin air a ladybug print appeared. Ladybug was confused and Chat just grunted.

"Some special power," he said sarcastically. Ladybug scanned their surroundings and realized the akuma was hidden in Stone Heart's fist. She tied the water hose to the suit and picked up Chat.

"You're just gonna have to trust me," she said flinging him towards the monster.

"THIS GIRL'S CRAZY!" He yelled as he swung through the air and was snatched by Stone Heart. Hawkmoth was surprised by how easy this was. Then Ladybug ran towards Stone Heart herself. She leaped into the air.

"Catch!" She yelled. Stone Heart was forced to let go of his fist to catch her and this was exactly what she wanted. "Alya, the hose!" She screamed. Alya who had been recording the whole time ran to the faucet and turned it on full blast. Ladybug was holding the suit and when it expanded she was sent flying into the air. She ripped the crumpled paper and a gorgeous purple butterfly flew away. Ivan was turned back to normal and left confused out of his mind. Chat was impressed. She thought Ladybug was crazy amazing. He didn't know who she was but whoever she was he loved her.

"Pound it!" The team said in unison as they shared their first fist bump. This would become a tradition after every fight. Chat's ring suddenly buzzed. Only one light remained lit. "You better go," said Ladybug. He smiled.

"I hope to do this again soon m'lady," he yelled as he scampered away.

"Not too soon I hope," she said to herself. She went home to find the news celebrating her victory. She had done it! This was amazing!

 _ **Meanehile in Adrien's Room:**_

Adrien was seeing his accomplishments praised on tv as well. Plagg was digging through his dinner. He picked up some fruit.

"Ew! What isn't this garbage!" He said.

"hey my personnel chef prepared that!" Adrien argued

"If you expect me to regain my energy after a transformation I'm going to need something more delicate," he said.

"Okay what do you want?" He asked

"Camembert," he said. Very soon his food arrived

"Camembert. All he eats is Camembert which means I'm gonna smell like stinky old cheese," said Adrien. Just then an alert on tv announced that all around Paris people were becoming still versions of Stone Heart. None of them moving but the threat of them coming to life still remained. Adrien and Marinette saw the alert and realized they had done something wrong but what?


	20. Chapter 20: Defeating Stone Heart

"Did you capture the akuma?" Asked Tikki. Marinette freaked out. How could she have forgotten such a crucial component. She wasn't cut out for being a hero.

"I can't do this! You'll need to find a new Ladybug!" She yelled. "I'm done." She took out her earrings and Tikki vanished. "Tikki? I'm sorry." She tucked the earrings into their box and stuffed them in a drawer. Meanwhile Hawkmoth was just waiting for the moment Ivan would slip up. All he needed was one negative emotion and all the stone monsters would come to life creating chaos and forcing the heroes to come out of hiding. His plan was going perfectly.

 _ **The Next Morning:**_

Marinette had just woken up from a restless night. She was tired and full of thoughts from the day before. Who would save Paris when she was gone? Chat couldn't do it alone so there was no hope.

"Don't worry buttercup," Tom was saying. "You don't need to be afraid. Ladybug and Chat Noir Will save us," he encouraged. This just made Marinette feel worse.

"But what if Ladybug fails?" She asked.

"Then I'd come and save you! Super baker to the rescue," he yelled. His confidence gave Marinette hope. Maybe anyone really could be a hero. Marinette hugged her father and started her walk to school but before she left she grabbed her earrings. Just in case. When she saw Alya she was beaming. She had posted her video of Ladybug and it had gone viral. Alya believed in Ladybug so maybe Marinette should too. Marinette then noticed people gathered around Ivan. Everyone was teasing him. Especially Chloe. He stormed off in anger and Marinette knew this wasn't good. She followed close behind. She saw him sitting alone in the locker room. She came over to comfort him,

"Ivan you need to stay positive. Mylene would be lucky to have you. You should go talk to her," she said. He smiled.

"I could write her a song?" He asked.

"Of course! What girl wouldn't want a love song written in their honor? Go for it and remember to stay positive!" She yelled. He nodded and ran off happily. She did a job well done. This hero thing wasn't as hard as she thought. She then went to class. Little did she know that something terrible was about to happen. Mylene had been in the girl's room and was about to be late so she was about to rush to class when she ran into Ivan.

"Oh Ivan you scared me," she said. He then presented her with his song. Sadly it had a somewhat different effect on her than he thought. She was terrified and ran away. He was left in a state of shock and misery. It was perfect for Hawkmoth's akuma. Ivan was once again transformed into Stone Heart and all his rock monsters came alive at once. The people of Paris were in horror and shock when the pack of giant rock monsters began to roam the streets looking for their victims. Meanwhile back at school Ivan stormed into the classroom kidnapping Chloe and Mylene. He wanted Mylene to be with him forever and he was just super annoyed at how bossy Chloe was. Adrien ran to his locker to transform and Marinette was left chasing Alya to give her the miraculous. She thought Alya would make a way better Ladybug but when Marinette arrived to the scene Alya was trapped behind a truck and Chat Noir was captured. Her only choice would be to fight. She reluctantly put back on her earrings and transformed. Tikki was glad to see her master but Marinette was kinda iffy about the whole saving Paris thing. What if she messed up again? What would she do then? She had no choice so she suited up and freed Alya. Then she went after Chat. She flipped into the air and sped off in search of Stone Heart and his army. When they were located she would find Chat and free him. That was the only plan she got and it was pretty sucky but she couldn't think under pressure. Great quality of a superhero right? When she arrived Chat was clutched in a monster's fist. She threw him his pole and he separated the hand long enough to escape. Ladybug caught him with her yo-yo and held with upside down.

"M'lady have I ever told you you turn my world upside down?" He asked. This was his first but definitely not his last pun.

"Oh you're quite the jokester," she smiled. Suddenly they heard one of the monsters yelling at them. He was about to charge. Ladybug released Chat and they spun into action. She led him to the Eiffel Tower where the original Stone Heart was waiting. The army was already waiting there. The mayor demanded his daughter's return and Stone Heart happily obliged. He launched Chloe into the air to her death. She screamed.

"please let me be ok! I promise to be nice to everyone and say please and thank..." She was cut short seconds before she hit the ground. Ladybug had caught her. "I didn't promise," she said when she wasn't safely on the ground.

"Huh?" Ladybug asked. No one had heard Chloe but herself. Ladybug didn't have time to dwell on it. She needed to save Paris and Mylene. Chat was close behind her and ready to fight. Before they fought the police stopped them.

"we can handle this. **You** already failed once," said the chief of police. Marinette knew he was right. She turned to Chat. He looked shocked but when he saw her looking so disappointed his face fell.

"You know he's right. If I had done my job right the first time then none of this would have happened. I knew I wasn't the right person for this," she said sorrowfully. Chat grabbed her shoulder.

"That's not true. Without you that girl wouldn't be here and without us none of them will be. We just have to prove it to them," said Chat. He stared longingly into her eyes. He thought she was amazing and perfect. He had faith and his faith inspired her. She nodded and regained her strength just in time to see hundreds of thousands of butterflies gagged out of Stone Heart's throat. They formed a floating head shaped like Hawkmoth. He announced himself and told all of Paris his plan to defeat the heroes. Ladybug had had enough.

"Nice try Hawkmoth but we know who the bad guy is. Let's not try to reverse the roles here. Without you none of these innocent victims would be transformed in the first place. Hawkmoth no matter how long it takes we will find you and you will hand us your miraculous!" She screamed while running toward the tower. Chat watched in admiration as she captured the akuma and freed the citizens from Hawkmoth's grasp. Everyone watched in awe. Their mouth's were hung open as she displayed her phenomenal power. She then turned to face the crowd and said, "let me make this promise to you. No matter who wants to harm you Ladybug and Chat Noir will do everything in our power to keep you safe." Then as the crowd roared with cheers she realeased every single white butterfly into the sky. Chat decided right then and there that Ladybug was his destiny and Hawkmoth yelled in anger over his failed plot. He ordered Stone Heart to continue with the plan and he started to climb the tower. Ladybug and Chat were following with the promise of victory hanging on their shoulders. She conjured up a parachute with her lucky charm and devised a plan. Chat gladly let her lead. She pulled Mylene and Stone Heart closer together and had them kiss. The monster dropped Mylene in surprise and caught her without a moment to spare but he dropped the paper. Chat leaped down the tower and launched the crumbled paper up to Ladybug who destroyed it on the spot. Breaking the paper made Mylene and Ivan fall down the tower. She looked towards the butterfly getting away and made her choice. She hopped down the tower behind them. Chat used his cataclysm to break the tower and rescue Ivan while Ladybug saved Mylene. She grabbed her and then flung her yo-yo into the air to capture the Akuma and de-evilise it. "Bye bye little butterfly," she said. Ivan was safely brought to the ground and Paris was restored back to normal. Beautiful pink lights flew around the town restoring it. Hawkmoth raged in anger and detransformed. Ladybug connected Mylene with Ivan and showed her his song lyrics. She loved them and Ivan beamed. Everything was right with the world again. Marinette realized Paris was way more exciting than America would ever be. She loved her new home and her new identity. Moving wasn't such a bad idea after all and neither was being a hero. Paris needed her and she intended to keep her promise and protect Paris as Ladybug. Her new life was finally looking up. Ladybug sighed. "Awww they're made for eachother," she said seeing Ivan and Mylene hugging.

"Just like us," said Chat. Marinette was shocked. She had a boyfriend! Chat's ring began to beep and she quickly pushed him away. She was excited to be friends and partner's but nothing more.

"See ya soon Chat Noir," She said leaping away. He watched her leave.

"Can't wait m'lady," he said to himself. The day had been saved and it was time to rest and process the day. Someday soon Paris would need them again and then he'd see her. When Marinette returned home her victory was all over the news once again. Alya appeared simultaneously and gushed about all that had happened and how amazingly Ladybug was. It gave Marinette a secret ego boost and made her more confident. She knew she could do it with the help of Chat and all the people of Paris.


	21. Chapter 21: Birthday surprises

Marinette was at the mall with Alya when she got the text. It was from Sabine. It read, "Hey darling, I have some news and it's too exciting to save. All your friends from America are coming to visit for your birthday!" Marinette started screaming right then and there. Her excitement was too big to hold in. Alya read over the message when Marinette stopped jumping and she got excited too.

"OMG MARI! I CANT WAIT TO MEET YOUR BOYFRIEND! COME ON WE GOTTA GO PREPARE!" She said tugging on her arm. People were staring but they didn't care. They were happy and they didn't care who knew it. They rushed to the party supplies store to grab some materials. They shoved decorations, treats, and anything else they could find in their shopping cart and ran to Alya's parent's car and drove to her house. Once they arrived they ran out the door with their multiple bags and raced all the way to Marinette's house. When they arrived they saw Sabine preparing a giant Eiffel Tower shaped cake.

"It's for your birthday. Your friends can have a little taste of Paris when they visit," she said smiling. Marinette gave her a kiss and helped Alya carry all the bags into her room. She unbagged and unpackaged everything. There were balloons, streamers, place settings, all sorts of junk food, and a bunch of random little games and toys that could be found useful in a time of boredom. Everything was set out and prepared for her friends arrival tomorrow. Blythe and Raissa would sleep in Marinette's room along with Alya, Mylene, Rose, Juleka, and Alix. The boys including Kim, Adrien, Jackson, Ivan, Max, Nino, and Nathan would sleep downstairs. It would be an epic party and when it was over they'd all go to their separate rooms and chill for the night even though Marinette was positive no one would sleep. It'd be way too exciting. She set out tons of sleeping bags and pillows and anxiously awaited their arrival. It was a long weekend so they'd be able to hang out for 4 straight days in a row. Eeeeeh! So exciting. Marinette began to doze after a long day of hurried preparation. Her American friends were arriving at 3pm the next day and her Parisian ones would arrive an hour later. Alya was sleeping over an extra day so once Mari fell asleep she tucked her in and said goodnight. She then went downstairs to help put the finishing touches on Marinette's presents and cake. She really cared about her friend and wanted everything to be perfect for the next day.

 _ **The Next Morning:**_

"Goodmorning," Marinette said while yawning. She then realized what day it was. "Omg! It's party day! Let's go! Let's go!" She yelled. It was barely 6 in the morning but Marinette was already prepared for the entire day and the entire week for that. For the rest of the day all Marinette could do was pace in anticipation. Why couldn't time go faster? All she wanted to do was see the smiling faces of her best friends. When the clock finally struck 2 Marinette was out the door. It was an hours drive to the airport and Marinette couldn't wait to arrive. When she finally did see the airport sign all she wanted was for her mom to speed up. "Ooh I see it! Hurry up! Let's go! They must be waiting for us already!" She urged. Sabine sped up slightly but made sure to stay within the legal speed limit. She didn't have time to get pulled over. Marinette was already on her back to hurry up even though their plane wouldn't arrive for another 10 minutes and the airport was in plain sight. Marinette had always been patient but today seemed like an exception. She was too overly excited to be patient. When the car stopped Marinette was practically inside the airport. she was as fast as flash. She was at the gate when Alya and Sabine were still in the car. Marinette was impatiently tapping her foot and checking her phone every two seconds when they caught up.

"It's going to take them a few minutes Mari. Be patient," Sabine was saying. Right when she was about to speak again a shrill scream so ear splitting it broke glass was heard throughout the airport. Marinette had spotted Blythe. Right behind her Raissa and Jackson followed close behind. They were running with open arms toward her. Her heart stopped when she saw them. They were finally reunited.

"Marinette!" They screamed. Blythe and Raissa were well behind Jackson by now. He was even more handsome than she remembered. Jackson embraced Mari the second he was in arm's reach. The hug lasted for seconds but it felt like a lifetime to Marinette. Her first love was finally in her arms again. When the rest of the gang caught up they were still hugging.

"Come on Prince Charming, give us a turn," it was Raissa. Marinette giggled and embraced her other two friends. They were full of laughter. For the next five minutes all they could do was laugh and interrupt eachother. "So how is sch... yeah and... no Alex... what of course!... wait... really I didn't think... what?" This is pretty much how most of the conversation went until Alya broke through it all. The climbed into the back seat and sat right in between Blythe and Marinette. Raissa was on Mari's other side.

"Hi my name is Alya. I've heard so much about you," she said offering her hand to Blythe. She smiled and shook her hand.

"Same. I'm Blythe," she said. "That's Raissa. She's really nice." Alya then grabbed Raissa's hand as well. Then Blythe pointed to the back seat and said, "That's Jackson. I'm sure you've heard all about him from little miss boy crazy. They're practically married. When Marinette lived in America they were inseparable. We never got any alone time with her. You're so lucky you get her all to yourself," Blythe teased. Marinette shoved her and it broke out in a full out war. Everyone was pushing and shouting and laughing their heads off. It was like Alya was always part of the group. They were joking like old friends. When Sabine pulled into the driveway they were too busy to notice.

"Hey girls and um... boy we're here," she yelled through the ruckus. Jackson, Raissa, and Blythe peered out the window. None of them had ever been to Paris. Their eyes glowed as they stared at the Eiffel Tower.

"It's beautiful," Raissa breathed. Jackson nodded in agreement. They stood outside the house for awhile and just took in the sights. "Tomorrow you'll have to show us around." Marinette smiled with pride. She loved that her friends were jealous of her new home. It meant she had thing cooler than them.

"We better head in," She said. "My Paris friends will be here any second. The trio reluctantly walked inside but not without glancing once more at the tower. It truly was a sight. Seconds after they arrived inside the doorbell rung. Marinette dashed through the room dodging all her friends and answered. "Oh hi Kim! Hey Max! Come on in. Meet my American friends," she said. They gave her hugs and entered the living room carrying two big colorful packages. Blythe, Raissa, Jackson, and Alya were sitting on the couch.

"Hey Kim!" Said Alya. "Max, come meet the group." They shook hands and then the other guests arrived. Everyone was there except Nino and Adrien. Marinette decided they would have to start without them. Adrien might not even show up. His father had said yes but Gabriel Agreste was a strange man and he could have changed his mind at any time of the day and since Nino would never abandon his friend he wouldn't show up either.

"Okay everyone. Let's start the activities!" Announced Marinette. They had all sorts of Paris themed games to introduce her friends to the wonderful world of France. For snacks they had croissants, macaroons, and a million different French candies. Halfway through the games the doorbell rang once again. Marinette skipped down the two flights of stairs and opened the door. Standing there was Adrien and Nino.

"Sorry we're late," said Nino quietly. He gave Adrien a look. "Mister perfectionist over here couldn't figure out which present to buy you." He was pointing at Adrien. Marinette stared at the little pink box he was holding. It was wrapped perfectly. She smiled thankfully.

"You didn't have to go through so much trouble," she said. "We're friends. I'd like anything you give me." He smiled quiltily.

"I wanted you to love it," he said slowly. "Not just like it..." Marinette hugged him.

"I'm sure I will. Happy birthday by the way.. twin!" Marinette and Adrien shared a birthday but Adrien hadnt celebrated since he lost his mother. It just wasn't Gabrielle's thing to host a party. She handed him a gift she had made. It was in green wrapping paper.

"Thanks Mari," he said quietly. The late arrivals headed upstairs to continue the party.

"We're back!" Marinette yelled. The whole room looked towards her. They were sitting in a circle with a bottle between them.

"We're playing spin the bottle," Jackson said shyly. "We're gonna have all the couples promise not to get mad if their partner has to kiss someone else because it won't really count since it's just a game. You're not mad are you?" He asked. Marinette kissed his forehead.

"Of course not. I'm just glad you asked first. This sounds super fun! Let's do it," she said happily. He grinned. She took her seat next to her boyfriend and held his hand.

"Birthday girl goes first," said Nino.

"No way! The Birthday girl chooses who goes first," yelled Marinette. "I choose you!" She said pointing to Ivan. He spun and landed on Max. He blushed nervously and kissed his cheek. Next Max spun to Juleka. He kissed her lips. A few more people spun and finally it was Marinette's turn. Jackson had landed on her and kissed her lips. She glanced around the circle nervously, closed her eyes, and spun the glass bottle quickly. It landed on none other than Adrien! She gasped and laughed it off. They were just friends so it meant nothing. It was just a stupid game. She tightened her grip on Jackson's hand and leaned in towards Adrien's face. She was super close and was hesitating. Just when she was going to back away Adrien kissed her. He lunged forward and his lip's pecked her's. She jumped back in surprise. "Hey I was supposed to kiss you!" She yelled nervosuly. She hoped Jackson wouldn't be jealous. His face was still content so she wasn't too worried. Adrien laughed.

"You hesitated. I help you get it over with," he said. "It's just a game." She started laughing too. Why was she so freaked out? He was right. It was just a game. She sofly punched his arm jokingly and the group exploded with laughter. Marinette realized that Adrien and her were finally best friends again. This was how she liked the world. She had her boyfriend, her best friends, and her close friends altogether. She was overjoyed. "Ah! I got Mari!" Adrien yelled. "Ready to kiss again?" He joked. Marinette noticed that Jackson looked less at ease. She nodded slowly and leaned in again. He pecked her lips again and winked. "Don't get me again," he teased. She spun and got Jackson. He looked calm again. She kissed him and the game continued. Marinette didn't have to kiss Adrien for the rest of the game but every time she spun she got nervous. Jackson looked kind of upset when Adrien kissed her. Maybe he was jealous. She didn't really mind the jealousy but she didn't want her boyfriend to be mad at her. She loved him too much. A few minutes after the game ended the group was called down for cake. Everyone was sitting around the living room table. They didn't really have a dining room. The Eiffel Tower was placed directly in front of Marinette and everyone began to sing.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to..." Marinette happily swayed while her friends and family sang. When the song was over Marinette leaned in and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered and clapped.

"Hey Mari, what'd you wish for," Raissa asked. Marinette giggled.

"it won't come true if it tell you," she answered. She was handed a piece of cake.

"Aww Marinette! Come on! That's just a rumor," she said. Marinette took a bite of her cake and shook her head.

"Nu uh. Not telling you," she teased.

"Oh fine but I'll get you later tonight when we play truth or dare," she said. Everyone quickly finished their cake and the games conitnued. After a few hours of nonstop fun everyone was tired. They ate a late dinner and went to bed. The boys went to the guest room and the ladies went to Marinette's room. "See you tomorrow," Raissa said yawning. All the girls herded into the room and assembled into a circle. "Let's play truth or dare," said Raissa eyeing Marinette. Everyone agreed. Once everyone was situated into their most comfortable position Raissa begun the game. "Hey birthday girl. Truth or dare?" She gave Marinette a devilish grin. Marinette burst out laughing.

"Dare," She said. Raissa acted as if she was dying. She grasped onto her throat and made dramatic choking sounds. When he little show was over she composed her self and glared at Marinette.

"Fine I **dare** you to tell me what you wished for," she said cleverly. Marinette sighed.

"If I must," she said. The group huddled around her. "I wished you guys could stay in Paris forever with me. Yeah I know it's stupid and it will never happen but it's nice to think about." Raissa and Blythe hugged her.

"We do too," they said in unison.

"Well let's not dwell on that," Marinette said perkily. "Alya truth or dare?" She asked.

"Truth," she said simply.

"Do you like Nino?" She asked. Alya blushed.

"Well maybe a little," She said shyly. "He's just too cute! How could you not?" Marinette jumped with joy and hugged her.

"You'd make the perfect couple!" She said full of excitement.

"Let's change the subject now. Mylene truth or dare?" she asked sheepishly.

"Dare I guess... well maybe truth. Er..dare or um idk! I choose dare! Final decision!" she stammered on.

"Ok chill girl. You chose dare so I hereby dare you to text Ivan 'I love you'," she yelled. Mylene's faced turned a bright red.

"But.. we... we're just friends. He doesn't feel that way towards me. Atleast I dont think he does," She said shyly. Her face was still a bright red.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" they chanted. She finally gave into the pressure and punched in his number. When the contact showed up it was named 'Ivan ❤️'. Everyone giggled and Mylene laughed along. She wrote down the message and pressed send. The girls anxiously waited for a reply. After a few restless minutes Mylene's phone beeped. Everyone cheered and urged her to check it. It said 'I kind of like you too... Wanna go out next Sunday? 😬' Mylene jumped with excitement.

"OMG HE LIKES ME TOO! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!" She screamed. Everyone giggled again. She blushed after noticing everyone staring at her. "What should I say?" she asked nervosuly.

"Say Yes!" the girls shouted.

"Ok I'll do it!" She cheered. She sent the text and the girls continued with their game. "Juleka truth or dare?" She asked after the excitement had faded.

"Dare," She said confidently.

"I dare you to..." she thought it over for a second. "Wear a pink dress to the fair tomorrow!" She was pleased with herself.

"Aww Mylene. You know that isn't my style! But I guess I'll do it for the dare. Atleast it's not too bad," she said dramatically. Marinette searched through her closet and found the girliest thing she had. Juleka sighed and tried it on. Luckily it fit perfectly. "Ugh! I hate this!" The girls snapped a few pictures and she took it off. "Rose truth or dare?"

"Truth," She said simply.

"Have you ever done anything remotely mean?" She asked. Rose looked distressed. She was known as the class goody two shoes. Everyone thought she was perfect.

"Well.. one time I," She started nervously. "Ate all the chocolates from the mint chip ice cream and blamed my brother!" She yelled quickly. She looked heartbroken and scared like she had just confessed to murder. Everyone laughed.

"Don't worry. You're still our friend," Juleka said jokingly. Rose smiled slightly at her best friend's attempt to comfort her. "Atleast you got it off your chest,"She teased. She gave Rose a side hug and the game went on.

"Truth or dare Alix?" She asked.

"Dare and make it something extreme!" She said.

"I dare you to lick the wall!" She said excitedly.

"Awww why'd I have to get Rose? Her dares are soooooo boring!" She sighed making sure to really stretch out her words. "Dare me something else." Rose looked around helplessly.

"Ok um any suggestions guys?" She asked. The girls not including Alix huddled together and discussed. They decided after a quick minute and turned towards Alix. She smiled pridefully. "We dare you to sneak into the boy's room and put worms in all their sleeping bags," she said quietly. Alix beamed.

"Totally extreme! I'll do it!" She screamed. So the girls carefully climbed up onto Marinette's roof and searched every plant up there for worms. When they had found what seemed like a lot they headed back down and followed Alix downstairs to the middle floor. She clutched the small purse of tiny wiggling worms and opened the door a crack. Most of the guys were sitting around or atleast near a big table by the window so she took her chance and snuck in. The girls watched from the doorway as she slipped handfuls of bugs into each sleeping bag and carefully zipped them up again. When she got to the last bag she still had almost half a bag left so she dumped the whole thing in and tiptoed to the door sneakily. They embraced her when she got out and had to run upstairs as quick as possible because they couldn't hold in their giggles one more second. When they reached Marinette's room they all burst out laughing so hard that tears ran down their eyes. "Okay that was awesome!" Yelled Alix. "I wonder if they'll scream." The girls kept laughing at the prank and the game ended. They were too excited to think about anything but the prank. After about an hour of waiting they decided to go to bed. The boys had probably found the bugs and didn't have such an amazing response as they had wished for. They got into their own sleeping bags and dozed off to dreamland. None of them gave second thoughts about the boys until morning when they met their fates.

Meanwhile in the boy's room (Earlier that night):

The party had just ended and the boys were slinking into their own room and saying their good nights to the girls. Jackson kissed Marinette's cheek and watched the girls climb into their upstairs bedroom. He let everyone in the room but right when Adrien got to the door he stopped him short. He pulled him back into the hallway and closed the door.

"So Mr. Adrien Agreste. You think you're so perfect because you're a model and all huh?" He asked jealously. Adrien looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked nervously.

"I mean you were flirting with my girl!" He yelled just quiet enough for the girls not to hear him. "You kissed her twice!" He snarled.

"Dude chill it was just a game. You said so yourself," he replied calmly.

"But what was with you and all the winking and sweet talk and stuff?" He yelled angrily. "You looked interested in her!" Adrien backed down a bit. He could tell Jackson was angry. He honestly couldn't find what Marinette saw in him.

"It's ok," he assured him. "I actually like someone else. Marinette is great and all. Don't get me wrong but we're just friends. We don't see each other in a romantic way." Jackson looked skeptical so Adrien added, "I promise," to seal the deal. Adrien patted him on the back and motioned for him to go inside. "Don't worry. She's totally in love with you. She talks about you all the time. She'd never cheat. Marinette's too nice for that." Jackson thanked him for staying calm and asked for his forgiveness for being so rude. Adrien said it was fine and they headed in. Maybe Jackson wasn't that bad Adrien thought. When they settled in for the night they never expected what they got. Worms were wiggling in every one of their sleeping bags. Adrien was the first to step into his and he had the scare of his life. He jumped out in surprise and fell to the floor bruising his legs. "Ow! What was that?" He asked loudly. The guys crowded around his and searched his blankets. At the far end of his bag they found dozens of tiny worms crawling all over each other. Kim nearly fainted.

"Ugh I hate bugs! What if it's an infestation!" He yelled. Everyone laughed at him.

"I bet the girls are planking us," chirped Max. "The chance of this being a prank is 97.99999999999999999999999999999999994 percent and I say we get our revenge." Everyone agreed when they discovered worms in their own sleeping bags. Well everyone except Adrien.

"Guys I know what they did was kind of mean but let's not retaliate. We don't wanna stoop down to their level," he said anxiously. He had never done something wrong.

"Come on I know my girls. Raissa, Blythe, and Mari will think it's hilarious," Jackson urged.

"Yeah and everyone else has a sense of humor as well. None of them will get upset," said Kim persuasively. "On my honor." He spit on his hand and offered it to Adrien. Everyone else followed due. Adrien glanced around at the excited faces. He spit and put his hand in. They yelled hooray and went to plan their scheme. When they were sure the ladies were sleeping they snuck down to the kitchen to grab anything sticky they could find. Then they crept up the stairs and proceeded in spraying every last inch of the sleeping girls with messes of silly string, whipped cream, honey, and ketchup. The girls would wake up to quite the surprise.

The next Morning:

Marinette woke up with an itch on her nose. She tried to scratch it but something sticky was holding down her arms. She opened her eyes in terror.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She screamed. Everyone in the whole house woke up. Some of the neighbors were even startled by her scream. Marinette's parents and the boys rushed up the stairs, opened the latch and filed into the room. Sabine and Tom surveyed the room with horror.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED UP HERE?!" They yelled. The boys began to feel guilty. They were sure they'd get in trouble. Adrien felt worse of all.

"It was my idea," he yelled startling everyone. "The girls pranked us with worms in our bags last night and I wanted revenge." He looked so pathetic and sorry Sabine couldn't help but feel bad.

"Well you shouldn't have done it. Clean it up and you won't be punished," she said. She brushed her fingers through his hair as a sign of forgiveness and left the boys to fend for themselves with the fuming room of girls. Every one of them was wiping all sorts of goop of their clothes.

"I can't believe you'd do this," screamed Alya. She was looking straight at Adrien. "My new pajamas are ruined!" Her pjs were spotted with an array of the ugliest, most grotesque polka dots anyone would ever see. "I would expect this behavior from Kim and a few of the others but you?!" She demanded. He hung his head with sorrow. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a glimpse of disappointment on Marinette's face. Was she mad at him?

"I'm sorry. Adrien is innocent. It wasn't his idea," Jackson stated defensively. "He was just covering up for us so we wouldn't get in trouble. He was actually the only one against pranking you guys so if you're going to be mad at least be mad at someone who deserves your anger." Jackson fell on his knees apologetically.

"We forgive you but you will definitely be the ones cleaning this up," Marinette said motioning towards the room. "We are going to go get ready for the fair. You stay here and clean," she said. The girls piled into her bathroom with their bags and began taking turns showering. After 4 hours the girls finally came out. The boys were done with the room 2 hours ago and were putting the finishing touches on their looks. Marinette's room smelled of ocean breeze and violets from all the perfume they had used. Now that everyone was washed, combed, clothed, and done up they were finally heading out for the fair. The town fair was a big event for the people of Paris. The whole city was there. The group of friends marched in like they owned the place. They rode every single ride together and celebrated the birthday girl as much as possible. The only bad thing was the seemingly endless lines that cursed their arrival at every ride at the park. When the day was over it was just another Saturday night in Paris. The air was crisp and people were smiling under the Eiffel Tower. The team was on the last ride of the night. The ride was called the whirlwind and the operator was a cranky old man who hated kids. He didn't even safety check the teens before he turned it on. His reasoning was that if they were tall enough to ride then they were smart enough to buckle their own seats. Marinette thought the guy was just a rude old man but that's because she didn't know the backstory. His daughter used to own the fair. She was tragically killed a year before when some rowdy teenagers had messed with the controls of one of the rides she was inspecting. He used to be kind to all but that event had messed him up. He was never his old self again and tonight would prove that. When the teens got off the ride Marinette felt sick. Her face was green and she was spinning all over the place. Jackson was trying to hold onto to her but when she bumped into the old man things went south.

"THIS IS EXACTLY HOW REBECCA WAS KILLED! KIDS THESE DAYS NEED TO LEARN RESPECT! IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT STAY OFF THE RIDE!" He screamed. Marinette's eyes rushed with tears. She ran off into the night with the group close behind her but Adrien and Jackson weren't ready to leave yet.

"She didn't mean to," Adrien said angrily. "She was just trying to have a good time and you ruined it." He bolted off after the rest of his friends. Jackson remained.

"Stupid kids," the man muttered to himself. Jackson stepped up.

"What did you say?" He asked strongly.

"I said back off kid. Go follow your cry baby friend," he huffed. Jackson turned a bright shade of red. His sensors were going off. All caution went aside. He was ready to fight.

"That 'cry baby' is my girlfriend and I won't let you treat her like that." And with that he lunged. The man was on the ground in seconds. They were wrestling in the dirt and Jackson wasn't about to give up. He took all the punches, the threats, and the kicks the man could dish out and he served some himself. The police were the only ones who could stop them. They quickly interfered after being alerted by a nearby onlooker. The pair were pulled apart and still jostled. Jackson wasn't stopping. He kept waving his legs and arms around furiously. The old man gave up though. He was tired and wasn't willing to give him the time of day. He tried breaking free from the policemen's grasp but was stopped.

"Do you realize the crimes you have committed here tonight?" He asked.

"I've done nothing!" He stated sharply. "He started it by jumping on me!" The police freed Jackson and he galloped away as fast as possible. He wasn't scared of the man but he certainly didn't want to get arrested for hanging around.

"A child harming an adult isn't unlawful sir but an adult retaliating is child abuse. You should have alerted us immediately instead of fueling the flame. The boy would of gotten a punishment if you hadn't taken action," the police declared bitterly. Handcuffs were placed on his wrists and he was escorted to the police car. Somewhere in Paris a certain villain was notified of his rage and found his way to his to his lair. A glowing mask appeared over the future villain's eyes. Hawkmoth communicated his claims.

"...join me and all teens will be punished. You will finally get your chance to avenge your dear Rebecca. Don't you want that?" He asked hopefully. He was faithful in his new apprentice. This was only Ladybug and Chat Noir's second battle and they were greatly inexperienced. Would they be able to defeat him? He personally thought very highly of his chances.


	22. Chapter 22: Mr Whirlwind

The old man morphed into a giant hulking monster. He was made of whirlwinds and was half as tall as the Eiffel Tower. The police car broke around him and the police ran in fear. They called the mayor alerting him of the dangerous villain roaming through the fair. Meanwhile Marinette was just being found crawled up behind a old baby ride far in the back. She was crying and her face was blotchy. The group came and sat with her. Everyone's arm was around her. Adrien soon caught up and told her what Jackson had done. He had seen while he was running. She now felt a sudden rush or guilt and worry. What if he got in trouble for her? It would be all her fault for being such a baby. He caught up moments later and apologized. She embraced him warmly.

"That was very thoughtful of you but..." she said looking at him. "Let's not resort to violence next time. K?" She asked pleadingly. He nodded in agreement.

"I guess," he started. "As long as no one tries to hurt you." He kissed her forehead and pulled her up from the floor. Suddenly a scream broke through the silent moment. It was Mylene. She had seen the monster. Everyone gasped and began to run in all different directions. "Marinette! This way!" He yelled while grabbing her arm. She broke free and ran in the other direction. He felt heartbroken but fearful. He continued to run the way he intended. What had he done wrong that she would purposely go the opposite direction in the face of danger? He went and hid behind some bushes and watched as the madness continued. When Marinette found a safe spot to transform she sprung into action and flew out of the bushes yelling.

"Run and hide! Go go go!" She was yelling at the scattered citizens who were trying to figure out what to do. She then noticed Chat Noir rush from behind a gate a few feet behind her. "Hey over here!" She yelled motioning for him to join her in battle. Jackson, Raissa, and Blythe watched from their hiding spots with amazement. No one had told them about Paris' super villains and masked heroes. They were dumbfounded and confused but mostly awestruck by what was happening right in front of their eyes. Raissa was clutching onto Alya in fear but that didn't stop her from catching the action for her Ladyblog. It was gaining in popularity and she needed some fresh content to stir up the audience and spread the news that her new favorites heroes were here to stay. Chat Noir was now beside Ladybug and was waiting for her plan.

"You look like you're in a stormy mood," he said sarcastically when a lightning bolt sprang from the villain's arm. "What's your plan?" he said facing Ladybug. She thought over her options while dodging the crazy weather being hurled at her.

"Lucky charm!" She yelled. A long rope appeared and fell into her arms. She nearly fell over from the weight. "What am I going to do with this?!" She shrieked. Chat was at her side holding part of it instantly. "Thx bud." Ouch friend zoned Chat thought.

"My pleasure m'lady," he smirked but another bolt of thunder suddenly ripped between them again. The rope broke in two and suddenly Ladybug saw things light up. Chat, 3 lamp posts, and the watch around the monster's wrist.

"We gotta tie him up Chat!" She yelled. They ran in opposite directions to confuse the monster but he didn't seem to notice. He was dangling none other than Jackson from his hand. "No!" She screamed. The monster smiled at her.

"FOR REBECCA!" He said tossing him as far away as possible. Ladybug dropped the rope and swung after him. He glided through the air screaming and seconds before he hit the ground Ladybug caught up with him. She swooped down from the sky and caught him in her arms. When he was placed on the ground safely it was a sigh of relief for her. "Thank God you're safe!" She said exasperated. "Stay low. We'll take care of the monster. You have nothing to worry about Jackson," she said about ready to fly off into the distance but he grabbed her arm.

"How did you know my name?" He asked. "Who are you?" He looked suspicious and Marinette was worried. He'd never recognize her right?

"I'm Ladybug! I'm the hero of Paris and speaking of that I better go save Paris from Mr. Whirlwind. Gotta go," She said changing the subject. The leaped from his grasp and swung away. He watched eyeing her face. There was something about her that was familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. He didn't dwell on the subject too long. He had to find Marinette. He might be a little upset about her leaving him to hide by herself but he still loved her and was worried. He galloped after her to catch the action.

Meanwhile with Chat:

"Okay I'm back!" Ladybug announced swinging into the scene.

"What took you so long? It's been hard to hold back Mr. whirlwind without you!" Chat whined. He was frantically running around the monster and keeping him distracted as much as possible. Ladybug then noticed her rope was missing. How would she capture him without it? Then she remembered! On her way back she had to retransform because she had used her lucky charm. The rope was gone. She got into a battle position beside Chat.

"Lucky Charm!" She yelled. It was no longer a rope. It was a picture. It looked like a younger version of the man she had been yelled at by. Right beside him in the picture was a teenage girl about her age. They looked so happy. Then Marinette realized something. Years before when she was little she had come to the fair with Adrien. She had met the man then but a girl was with him. The girl in the picture... she had always been there. This year she wasn't. "It's Rebecca!" She thought aloud. "That's what he was talking about earlier when he said those mean things!" Chat gave her a funny look.

"What? M'lady you're not making any sense and I'm getting pretty tired!" He complained. She grabbed his arm and ran for the bushes. She made sure to go straight to the one Alya was sitting behind.

"Hey, you're the girl who made the Ladyblog right?" She asked pretending to be ignorant. Alya was star struck. She was recording the one and only Ladybug and she was talking to her!

"Yea... Yeah! That's me!" She said enthusiastically.

"Look I need your help and the help of all your followers," Ladybug said looking at the camera. Alya was overjoyed.

"I'd love to help! What do you need!" She asked ecstatically.

"Show this picture to everyone," she said holding up the lucky charm. Alya anxiously videotaped her while having a nervous breakdown in the background. "People of Paris we need you to project this image on as many screens as possible. It will help distract the baddie while Chat Noir and I defeat him. Can I count on you?" She said smiling at the camera. Alya nodded and hundreds of people flashed their screens at the monster. Ladybug whispered one last thing to Alya, winked at the camera and ran back to help chat defeat him. "Chat!" She yelled. "Follow me!" He willingly followed his lady to an alleyway a few meters behind the monster. "Here's the plan. The people of Paris are distracting him. While he's distracted we have to build a seesaw right here. Then the second he turns around I catapult you right into him and you activate your cataclysm and destroy the watch. Got it?" She asked dragging a big metal board towards a barrel. He helped her pull.

"Got it," he winked. They got in to positions waiting for the right time.

Alya now!" Ladybug yelled. The photos all disappeared from the screens and Mr. Whirlwind turned around in shock to see Chat Noir hurling toward him at an impressive speed.

"Cataclysm!" He yelled. He hit the watch dead on and it crumbled into a million black specks of dust. Mr. whirlwind toppled sideways and tried grabbing for chat but failed and fell over in misery. A little purple butterfly flew from the remnants of his watch.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug yelled while capturing the akuma. She released the butterfly which was now a beautiful white. "Goodbye little butterfly!" She said waving. She threw up her yo-yo and said, "Miraculous Ladybug!" All the destruction the monster had caused disappeared and everything returned to normal. The man became himself again. "Pound it" She said. The heroes fist bumped. "Great job Chat!" She said hugging him. Her earrings beeped. She had less than a minute to get away. "Bug out! Oh wait Chat can you talk to the guy quick! He deserves a friend right now," she said shyly. He nodded and waved her away. His ring beeped but he still had 3 minutes so he was fine.

"Hey sir," he started. "It's okay to feel bad about losing someone... I know how it feels... but you can't take it out on people. I know when people push your buttons it's hard to not retaliate and what that kid did was wrong but you have to look at the positive side. Rebecca would have wanted you to stay happy," he smiled. He gave the man a hug and waved goodbye.

"Thank you Chat Noir," he whispered under his breath while the hero disappeared. Meanwhile Marinette had just changed back. She popped a cookie into Tikki's mouth and went to find her friends.

"Hey guys! That was crazy! I was so scared!" She said hugging Jackson. "I'm sorry I left you. I panicked," she said innocently. He bought it and hugged her back. "I... I think we should go apologize to that man," she suggested quietly. He nodded. Anything to make his girl happy. "Oh thank you! Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the whirlwind ride while the group followed behind them. The man turned around just in time to see a group of teenagers rushing towards him. Marinette and Jackson halted right in front of him. "Hi.." she started reluctantly. "I'm really sorry for bumping you. I should have never gone on the ride. I'm such a baby for crying and.." she was about to continue but the man stopped her.

"No it was my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper so easily. You have done nothing wrong," he apologized. "Please forgive me."

"You have every right to be angry. I was very rude to you while you were going through a rough time. We promise to forgive you if you forgive us," Jackson said reaching out his hand. "Truce?" He asked hopefully. The man grinned.

"Truce. She's a very lovely young lady. Never let her go," he smiled.

"I won't," Jackson said looking at Marinette. " I promise."He kissed her cheek and reached for her hand again. "Come on Mari! Let's go home," they waved at the man and the group followed behind. He could tell they would last a lifetime.


	23. Chapter 23: Big surprises

The group walked home in the darkness. When they arrived at the bakery is was well past 10. It was time for bed.

"What an adventure," Raissa beamed. "No one told me about Paris's superheroes! That was so awesome!" Everyone laughed. After grabbing a quick cup of cocoa the teenagers rushed into their rooms for the night. Jackson and Marinette stayed outside the door for a moment longer.

"I'm really glad you're okay," Jackson said. "I was so worried about you. I love you so much." He stared into her eyes. They were so beautiful. Like a lake as clear as the sky. "I hope Paris isn't too dangerous for you. I'd hate to wake up one day and you'd be gone." He blinked back some tears. "You're too perfect to lose. When I leave please stay safe." They were hugging. Adrien peeked his head out the door to ask Jackson something but instead he saw the couple kissing. It was long and romantic and the first real kiss they'd ever shared.

"I love you too," Marinette said staring up at Jackson's round brown eyes. They hugged for a minute longer and Adrien escaped back into the room. He suddenly felt really sad. He had no idea why.

"Hey dude, what did Jackson say?" Ivan asked pulling him back to reality. Adrien glanced back at him.

"Oh I didn't ask... he seemed _busy._ " Jackson slid into the room seconds later. He was full of joy.

 _ **The next Morning:**_

" _Time to open presents Marinette!" Sabine chirped. "Your friends are leaving tomorrow." The group was gathered around the living room table. Mari got all sorts of things.._

 _ **What she got:**_

 _Rose: Pink umbrella_

 _Juleka: Spotted choker_

 _Kim: Jaguar stuffed animal_

 _Ivan: Jagged Stone album_

 _Max: Calculator_

 _Mylene: Hat_

 _Nathaniel: Box Of chocolates_

 _Alya: Best friends bracelet_

 _Alix: Skateboard_

 _Nino: Headphones_

 _Jackson: Sewing machine and teddy bear_

 _Raissa: Quilted blanket_

 _Blythe: Bag_

" _Thank you all so much!" She said hugging her friends. While she was hugging them she looked down and saw something colorful lodged under her chair. "Oh wait. I forgot one," she noticed blushing. "Sorry Adrien." She picked up the little decorated box. "I wonder what it is," she said shaking it. She carefully unwrapped it and inside she found a necklace and a journal. The journal was a semicircle and was a pretty pink with white dots all over it. The necklace was shaped like a ladybug and it was a locket. Inside was a picture of the two of them as babies holding hands. They looked so happy and carefree and perfect. They were adorable. Marinette's eyes swelled with tears. She couldn't help but remember the days all she thought about was Adrien and if he liked her. They were best friends and nothing could take that away. Not even a few years apart. They would always be close. "Awww Adrien!" She squealed. "That's so sweet!" She said hugging him. She nearly burst out in tears remembering the simple days but she held her composure and just settled for hugging her friend. Everyone joined in and it became a group hug. Jackson might have looked a little jealous again but Marinette didn't even notice. She was perfectly content. When the hug ended her eyes were puffy but she tried to remain as cheerful looking as possible. "Thank you," She said gazing into his eyes then she looked around the rest of the group and said, "thank you! All of you! You're the best friends I could ask for!" Very soon after they had wrapped up the present opening it was time for her friends to return home. She kissed all her Parisian friends goodbye and hopped in the car to the airport with her American ones. In the car no one said a word. It was too sad. She held Jackson's hand and rested her head on his shoulder. When it was time for them to step on the plane she couldn't let go. These were her best friends. She never wanted them to leave. It would be awhile since she would see them again. They only got to come this time because Raissa's mother had gotten a bonus at work. It was too expensive to fly back every year. "I love you!" She yelled one last time as Jackson's face disappeared onto the plane. She was sobbing all the way home and she hung out in her bed the rest of the day. She already missed them. She couldn't even begin to think about Adrien and what had happened that weekend when her heart was full of sadness for her boyfriend. The rest of the day was bleak but tomorrow was school and she was hoping that would clear her mind and bring her back to a sense of happiness._

 _ **The next day at school:**_

Marinette saw Nino and Adrien standing by the door so she went over to hand with them until Alya showed up.

"Hey what's up guys?" She asked. They gave her side hugs and continued their conversation making sure to include her in what they were talking about.

"Hey Mari! We were just discussing Chat Noir's relationship with Ladybug," said Nino. Adrien and Marinette both blushed.

"Like I said I don't think they're dating, at least not yet," Adrien pointed out. Nino sighed.

"All the signs are there," he said exasperated. "They always work together, Chat Noir is always flirting with Ladybug which is something that I personally would never do unless I was really interested in someone, and do you know how many times Alya has caught them holding hands on her Ladyblog? They've only been out in public twice and she's got 32 pictures of them looking like a couple!" He said.

"Wow that is a lot..." Marinette trailed. "But we shouldn't jump to conclusions. If the heroes were dating they'd kiss or something right? We shouldn't just mark them off as a couple until we get real proof," she said paging through the photos. "Most of these are taken out of context anyways." She pointed to one where she was falling off a building and Chat had caught her. "See in this one he was just saving me... my favorite hero ladybug!" She saved. "They are one hundred and ten percent not dating. End of subject," she said dramatically.

"Yeah..." said Adrien looking pretty sad. "They're not."

"But are you sure?" Nino urged. "They may just be trying to keep it a secret. Alya says if they are dating she's going to find out no matter what. I think they'd be adorable together." Adrien suddenly looked joyful again.

"Really? Do you really think?" He asked full of enthusiasm. He noticed his friends were staring at him so he added, "I agree... they'd be perfect together." He sighed dreamily. "It would be a storybook romance. A pair of superheroes fighting together as one. Not just a pair but a couple. It would be so..." he searched for a word to describe his love. "Passionate!" He yelled happily. "Yes they'd be such an amazing couple. I'd love to see them together someday." He hadn't noticed he was still talking to his best friends. "Um well I like romance," he said shyly. Marinette laughed and Alya showed up.

"Hey my dudes!" She said energetically. She gave Nino and Adrien fist bumps and went in for a hug with Marinette. Her friends gave her confused looks. This was not like Alya. She usually didn't act this weird unless something was up.

"What's up?" Marinette asked suspiciously. "Where were you? Why were you so late?" Alya looked nervous.

"Uh nothing. Nowhere. I was just..." She said. "Hey want to go on a picnic under the Eiffel Tower this weekend? It would be fun." She smiled honestly. Marinette gave her one last suspicious stare but then agreed. The boys agreed as well providing they get permission form their parents. Mr. Agreste had been more strict since his wife had died but he was still lenient on some matters. At least he hadn't pulled him out of school right? "Oh we gotta go to class!" Alya said as the bell begun to ring. "Let's go!" She grabbed Marinette's hand who grabbed Adrien's who grabbed Nino's. They ran all the way to class together. Adrien couldn't help thinking about how Marinette had held his hand instead of Nino's. Where were all these thoughts coming from? He had never liked Marinette like that. Even when they were kids he was never interested. Did he only like her because she was unavailable? Was he really that shallow?

"Hey Adrien can you let go?" He heard. He was still holding her hand. Oops. Stop spacing Agreste he told himself.

"Oh sorry Mari. I hadn't noticed," he said suddenly flustered. She grinned.

"It's okay, I'm pretty spacey sometimes," she said kindly. He let go and they took their seats. She gave him a sincere look and for some reason all he could do was smile for the rest of the class. He didn't even think about Alya's picnic or why she was acting so different that morning.

 _ **That night at Adrien's house:**_

"So may I go?" Adrien asked his father. He was begging to be allowed to go to the picnic. Gabriel Agreste didn't even hesitate.

"Of course and bring this," he said and Nathalie handed him a weirdly shaped box. "Give it to Mrs. Dupain Cheng please. It's nothing special. Just make sure she gets it." He dismissed his son and Adrien went to his room very confused. Why was it so easy? And what the heck was in that box?

"Are you going to open it? I'm dying to know what's inside!" Plagg pried when they returned to his room. Adrien shook his head.

"No way! I don't want my father mad at me. Besides it's for Marinette's mother," he answered. "We might not even be allowed to see it when she receives it. I don't want to snoop." Plagg whined for another hour before giving up. Adrien never gave in. When Plagg finally stopped talking he got into his pajamas and headed to bed. All night he dreamed about Ladybug and during one point of the night her identity was revealed to him. The next morning the dream was erased from his memory but for some unknown reason he was thinking about Marinette again. He woke up and immediately his mind raced to her beautiful smiling face. "What the heck dude! She's got a boyfriend," he reminded himself aloud. Plagg woke with a start.

"Ooh thinking about your little crush again?" Plagg teased.

"I don't like her. We're just friends," he said angrily. "It's just I keep thinking about her for some reason. Ladybug is the only one I love." Wether or not he really believed that is his own business but Plagg was not convinced.

"Well fine you _don't_ like her," Plagg said sarcastically. "But we better stop talking about it or you're going to be late to school," he said pointing to the alarm clock.

"Plagg why didn't you tell me I'd slept in?" He yelled and hopped out of bed. He was out the door in less than five minutes and still late. What a great way to start off the day. He couldn't wait for the weekend.

 _ **That weekend:**_

Alya, Nino, Marinette, Adrien, and their families (not counting Adrien's family who wasn't there) were gathered under the Eiffel Tower eating all sorts of baked goods from Marinette's house. After a long endured silence that had swept over the adult's ever since they got there Marinette spoke up.

"So what's really going on here?" She asked impatiently. "Why are we here?" Her mother stood up next to her but it sure did take awhile. Marinette noticed she had gained a lot of weight over the last 4 months. She really needed to exercise more but Marinette wasn't going to be the one to tell her that. She didn't want to have to suffer her mom's wrath. Sabine was a nice lady but if you mention the weight of any women you should be prepared for a lot of anger heading your way. When Sabine did reach Marinette's side everyone instantly looked in their direction. Sabine put her hand on Marinette's shoulder.

"I suppose you children want to know why you have been called here today?" She said. They all nodded except Alya who obviously already knew the news. "I'm pregnant," she stated simply. Marinette's eyes bulged and her mouth hung open.

"OMG MOM REALLY?! IM GOING TO HAVE A SIBLING! IM SO EXCITED! I CANT BELIEVE THIS! REALLY?!" She yelled. She embraced her warmly. "I love you so much." Tears streaked her face and everyone came to hug the pair. Adrien and Nino were surprised but not nearly as surprised as Marinette. She was bursting full of love, happiness, and shock. She didn't know how to feel. All she knew was that she was feeling something and she never wanted to let it go. When everyone settled down Sabine had to get their attention again.

"You all know what this parties really for," she said. "I didn't just call you out here to see Marinette's reaction. The gender of the baby will be announced now!" Marinette squealed.

"Oh mom really? Can I tell everyone?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course baby," Tom and Sabine said simultaneously. Marinette shrieked again. They handed her a little purple card to open. The carefully torn open the envelope and looked inside with expectant eyes all resting upon her face.

"It's..." she looked confused for a minute. "Both. We're having twins!" Sabine and Tom we're now the ones to be shocked.

"Don't mess with us Marinette. Are you serious?" Tom asked.

"Yeah! I'm going to be a sister to twins!" The family laughed and cried while people congratulated and hugged them. What a happy day. Hawkmoth himself couldn't ruin it. When Sabine was done bawling they opened their baby shower presents and ate some more cake. Nino and Alya were with their parents and their parents were talking to Marinette's so Adrien and Mari hung out by themselves.

"Congrats Mari. You're going to be a sister. That's so exciting. I'd love to have a sibling but ya know?" He said semi sadly. She held his hand.

"Well we're having twins so if you want you could help me with the babysitting. You could pretend to be my brother. We're already close enough right?" She asked hoping to cheer him up. He gave her a side hug and smiled.

"Yeah we are. I'm so glad you moved back. I love you sis," he said somewhat held back. He didn't want to scare her off with the I love you.

"I love you too bro," she said jokingly. She softly pushed him and he nearly fell over. "I'm glad too." They laughed and continued to talk about "their" future siblings. Adrien had a sudden urge to kiss her. He was about to lean in but her phone beeped in her pocket. It was from Jackson. "Ooh that's right! I need to tell Jack about the big news! Be right back!" She said getting up. He saw her talking on the phone while she walked away and realized it simply wasn't meant to be. The universe wouldn't have stopped all their romantic encounters if it was. He decided her needed to see Ladybug that night. He needed to see the girl he was really in love with. When the party was over he kissed his friends goodbye (on the cheek of course) and went straight home. He pretended to practice piano while he suited up. He called his lady and miraculously she answered. Marinette had wanted to clear her mind after a day filled with all that big news so she decided to patrol the city. She was at the Louvre when she got the call. "Hey Chat. What's up? Emergency in Paris?" She said.

"No I just was out and wondered if you wanted to hang out like as superheroes. You know to get to know each other. So wanna go get ice cream of something?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah sure," she said happily. "Sounds fun." He was surprised. Why was she so willing? It didn't matter. He got to spend a night with his lady and that's all that mattered. "Meet me at the Louvre. The sweethearts ice cream cart is here right now." Now he was even more surprised. Sweethearts ice cream. He was just about to comment but then she said, "don't get any ideas. It's just the best ice cream in Paris okay?" He smiled.

"Copy that m'lady," he said. He raced to the Louvre and saw her standing by the cart already. Andre was scooping her some ice cream to share with Chat. 3 scoops. Cherry with chocolate chips, mint, and a swirl of blueberry and peach. "Looks purrfectly delicious," Chat said sliding in next to her. "Allow me to pay." He winked and handed Andre the amount. Ladybug rolled her eyes but she was laughing so that was a good sign. "So why are you so happy today?" He asked. She giggled.

"Oh no reason. I'm just really excited about something," she said. She took a spoon out of the ice cream and began to eat. "Mmmm delicious." Chat picked up the other spoon and took a bite as well. "You sure know how to make a great flavor," she told Andre.

"I'm just so honored that Paris' greatest heroes like my ice cream!" He exclaimed. Ladybug laughed and Chat couldn't help but stare.

"You're so beautiful when you laugh," he said quietly. She looked mildly surprised but didn't get mad.

"Thanks," She said. She didn't want to lead him on because he didn't know she had a boyfriend but she didn't want to be rude. "So am I just ugly the rest of the time?" She teased. Chat was dumbfounded.

"No no no I'm so sorry! That's not what I meant. I..." He stumbled over his words. "I didn't mean to offend you. You're always pretty and awesome and I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," he pleaded. Ladybug snickered.

"I'm just kidding kitty," she said laughing. He smiled embarrassed at his outburst.

"I knew that," he said quietly.

"Of course you did," she yelled. "Hey Chat can I tell you a secret?" She asked all of a sudden. Chat looked at her.

"You talking to me?" He joked.

"Actually yeah..." she said. Chat became nervous. What was she about to tell him?

"I know you just pretend to like me. It's all a flirtatious act you put on. It's like your personality but," she was about to continue but Chat put his finger to her lips.

"No," He said slowly. He held her face and stared straight into her eyes. "I really do love you. How could I not? You're perfect and beautiful and brave. What guy wouldn't love a girl like you?" He look another bite of the ice cream she was holding.

"You really like me?" She asked about to cry. "... I had no idea." He voice cracked and a tear slipped down her face. Chat's expression changed.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked worried. "Did I do something?" Ladybug hugged him and cried.

"I have a boyfriend," she choked out. "And now I feel like a jerk for leading you on..." Chat Noir was heart broken. He pushed her off.

"All this time you had a boyfriend! Why didn't you tell me," he cried. He wasn't angry but he felt like yelling. He couldn't beleive he was in love with a girl that was taken. He stood up. This was just like Marinette. He's having feelings for someone he barely knows and they have a boyfriend as well. What next? He was about to run off but Ladybug grabbed his wrist.

"I'm sorry," she said through tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you but I didn't believe you really liked me. I thought it was a joke!" Chat looked at her and saw something he had never before. She cared about him just as much as he cared about her. It was just in a different way. He had caused the pain in her eyes. He had made his lady sad. He sat back down and gazed into her eyes again.

"I love you and I'll never stop fighting for you. No matter how long it takes. I will wait for you," he said. He kissed her cheek and slid off the building. She watched as he launched off of nearby buildings and slipped into the night. Was he really serious? How had things gotten to this?

"Spots off," She said. Tikki saw her dampened face and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry. We should go though." Marinette nodded and started the long walk home. On the way she pondered over everything that had happened and wondered what would happen next. What would come in her future? Time would only tell.


	24. Chapter 24: Anti Chat

Chat slid into his room and transformed back into Adrien.

"She has a boyfriend?" He asked aloud. Plagg sat on his shoulder.

"I know. Total bummer but atleast you can stop obsessing over Ladybug right?" Plagg asked. Adrien glared at him.

"I'll never give her up. She's too wonderful," he said plainly. Plagg patted his arm.

"I knew you'd never go for forgetting about her," he sighed. "You're too resilient. Don't worry. Someday she'll realize how good of a guy you are." He hushed his tone hoping Adrien wouldn't hear the last part but he did.

"Thanks bud. You're really my best friend. I love you Plagg."

"Let's not get all mushy now. I was just trying to be nice. Now how about you get me some Camembert for my efforts?" He asked slyly.

"Of course," Adrien sighed. When he went to bed he couldn't fall asleep. All he could think about was Ladybug. He couldn't stop crying. Plagg tried comforting him but it was useless. All he could do was sit awake with him and let him cry it out. He tried everything. He tried making him laugh, hugging him, and he even tried offering him his cheese. He had never felt so bad for someone. Plagg wasn't someone you would call sympathetic.

"Adrien it's 3 in the morning. Are you going to be okay?" He asked quietly. Adrien looked at him but continued to cry. He couldn't get over it. Why was he so upset? He hadn't cried this much since his mother died. He felt so alone.

"I'll.. be... fine," he choked out. "You can go to bed." Plagg rested on his leg and fell asleep.

"It will be okay," he said before drifting to the land of dreams. Adrien grabbed his Ladybug doll off his nightstand and stared at her.

"Why?" He asked her. He kissed the doll's forehead and snuggled into his bed holding her. "I don't understand why someone so new in my life can make me feel this way but I guess that's how every parent feels when their baby is born. I know you were meant to be in my life and I'm never gonna stop fighting for you. I love you," he whispered." He had never felt this way about anyone in his entire life. He cried himself to sleep in the darkness. The next morning he woke up hearing a fluttering noise. It was an akuma. "Plagg claws out!" He yelled. Plagg wasn't even awake enough to process what was happening before he got sucked into the ring. Adrien became Chat Noir. "No stay back! Get away from me! Get out!" He yelled. He tried to defend himself. Luckily his magic prevented Hawkmoth from seeing his identity before he transformed but it didn't protect him from getting akumatized. He tried escaping but it got too close and he couldn't hold in his emotions. The butterfly touched his Ladybug doll.

"Anti Chat do you want to get your revenge on Ladybug?" Hawkmoth said. "All you need to do is take her miraculous then you'll know the true identity of the girl who broke your heart," he said. He didn't mention the part of the plan where he would take Chat's miracle stone.

"No you can't convince me to hurt my lady!" He screamed. Hawkmoth huffed.

"You won't be doing anything worse than what she did to you. She broke your heart, she lied to you, she stabbed you in the back. All you're doing is revealing her true self."

"That's not true!" He yelled. He tried fighting back as long as he could.

"Don't you want to see the face of the girl you love?" He asked. This broke Chat. He was too weak to keep fighting. His costume became white and his eyes were made into a dark red.

"I'll get you what you want Hawkmoth and I'll reveal who my lady really is."

"What a purrfect plan," Hawkmoth joked. "Go find the girl who broke your heart." Chat jumped from his window and prowled through the streets of Paris searching for Ladybug. It was six A.M and hardly anyone was out. Ladybug was probably in her civilian form. All he needed to do to get her out was cause some trouble. He ran through the streets making as much noise as possible. He wanted to get noticed. Alya was recording a theory video for her Ladyblog when Anti Chat ran down her street. She turned just in time to catch an image of him in his akumatized form.

"Woah freak out! Did you just see that? It looks like another poor citizen had been akumatized my Hawkmoth and what's this? He looks almost exactly like Chat Noir! Is this another Copycat incident?" She asked the camera. Copycat had been akumatized a few days ago and the heroes had gotten rid of him easily. Everyone was starting to notice how great a job the heroes were doing already. Between Stoneheart, copycat, bubbler, and Mr. Whirlwind it was evident that the supers were doing great as protectors for the city of Paris. "Let's follow them. Ladybug and Chat are sure to show up soon." She turned off the video and posted it calling it 'Who is Ladybug theory part one and exclusive video of new villain. Tune in!'. Then she started a live stream and informed her viewers of what was happening. She hopped on her bike and followed close behind the newly akumatized Chat Noir. "They look identical except for the color!" She boasted. "Excuse me Mr. Villain!" She yelled. Chat Noir turned around.

"My name is Anti Chat!" He screamed. She wasn't shook.

"Who are you really though?" She asked breathing harshly. It was hard to keep up when he kept using his powers to run across buildings.

"I don't have time for such questions. I need to find Ladybug meow (now)!" He yelled and ran away.

"He's after Ladybug! What did our favorite lady hero do to deserve this and how does Chat Noir play into this? Keep watching to find out." She followed in the direction she saw Chat going. He was heading towards the Louvre.

 _ **Meanwhile at Marinette's house:**_

Mari was still sleeping peacefully when her phone beeped. It was alert that the Ladyblog was live. Marinette had subscribed to support her friend.

"Tikki grab my phone please," She said sleepily. Her head was cloudy and ached. She was tired from crying. She never meant to hurt his feelings and she felt terrible. "Let's see what Alya's up to so early in the morning." She turned on the stream and squinted at the blurry image. It kind of looked like Chat. Was that possible? "Oh no," she breathed slowly. Tikki came to look at her screen. "Can superheroes be akumatized?" She asked nervously. Tikki looked upset and scared. She nodded and they stared at each other for a minute before realizing what they needed to do. "Spots on," She said. She climbed outside and looked around for him. No sign on damage anywhere. She checked the Ladyblog and saw they were at the Louvre. "I'm coming for you Chat," she said sadly. "Don't worry. I'll save you." The way there looked like a tornado had hit. There was buildings destroyed by his cataclysm and things knocked everywhere. So far it looked like everyone was okay but it wouldn't stay that way for long. Ladybug arrived to the Louvre and the first thing she saw was Chat destroy Andre's ice cream cart. "How is he using his cataclysm so much?" She wondered aloud. She snuck over by the museum and ducked behind it. She needed to first get Alya out of danger, then find a way to save Chat. "Chat Noir!" She yelled jumping out from behind the museum. "You need to stop this! You're scaring people!" She yelled. He turned around to see his lady running towards him.

"Ah you've finally arrived m'lady," he said. "Right on time." He snapped his fingers and a trap he had set fell down on Ladybug. "You're so predictable Ladybug."

"Chat you need to stop. Look I'm sorry for what I did to you but you don't need to retaliate," she said calmly. "Please."

"You..." he hesitated. "You can't change my mind. I want to know who you are. You hid the fact that you had a boyfriend. What else are you hiding?" He sounded so pitiful and sad. She felt so bad for making him stop trusting her.

"I want you to trust me and I know I shouldn't keep secrets but we need to hide our identities to keep ourselves safe. It's how it has to be until Hawkmoth is defeated. Ask me anything that won't clue to my identity. I'll answer truthfully. I promise," she said. She had a plan. Alya recorded from behind Chat Noir.

"You really want my trust back?" He asked hopefully. Hawkmoth was losing a grasp on him.

"No she's lying!" He yelled. "You can't fully trust her unless she shows you her identity. This is the girl who ripped out your heart. Are you really gonna listen to her?"

"You're lying!" Chat told Ladybug. "I don't trust you."

"Please Chat Noir," she pleaded. "Ask anything."

"Fine. If you don't love me.. what do you really think of me? Answer truthfully or your identity will be revealed to everyone." Ladybug tried to find the real Chat in his eyes but he was blinded by Hawkmoth. He wasn't really Chat. Anti Chat was looking at her so she focused her eyes away to distract him.

"Come here," she commanded. She waved her hands for him to come but what she was really doing was signaling for Alya to come as well. Alya caught on and came with him. She hid herself so she wouldn't be seen. When they arrived Ladybug noticed Sabrina behind the bushes far behind Chat. She winked at her and yelled, "Hey Chat that girl is trying to come save me!" Chat turned and went to capture her while Ladybug instructed Alya on how to open the cage. When Chat returned Ladybug was gone. Alya and Ladybug hid behind a car and she quietly called for her, "Lucky Charm!" It was a single rose. Chat was always giving her roses to impress her. Maybe that's how'd she defeat him. All she saw in her red vision was Chat. She was taking a huge risk by going out again but she had to save her friend.

"I'd like to give a peace offering," she said walking out from behind the car. She held the rose outstretched in front of her.

"Get her miraculous already! Stop messing around!" Hawkmoth yelled impatiently. "She isn't worth your time!" Chat ran towards her to defeat her once and for all.

"Please Chat. You're my best friend. You're my partner. You are so amazing and any girl would be lucky to have you. You're so special and mean so much to you," Ladybug said walking up to him.

"No I mean nothing to you. You broke my heart!" He fought. "I can't trust you anymore!"

"Chat the day I met you my life changed for the better. I care about you more than I can express. You don't need to do this."

"I'm not listening!" He screamed. "Cataclysm!" He reached for her but Ladybug didn't even flinch. She trusted Chat and believed she could break the hold Hawkmoth had over him.

"Chat," She said. His hand was barely a foot from her face and coming fast. "I love you." His eyes went wide and he swerved out of the way. He flipped over the ground and landed on his side groaning in pain. "Omg are you okay?" She ran over to him. He looked up at her.

"Really Ladybug?" He asked.

"Yes, I love you like family. You are so important to me. Please hand over the akuma." He reached into his pocket and grabbed the doll. It crumbled into a million tiny pieces from his cataclysm. She captured it.

"Miraculous Ladybug! Goodbye little butterfly," she said. When Paris went back to normal Chat Noir was sitting on the ground looking around.

"What happened? Ladybug?" He said confused. He was holding his doll.

"You were akumatized," she explained solemnly. He looked shocked. "You had to battle me alone?" He asked. "I'm so sorry!" He stood up and hugged her. "I let my emotions grab ahold of me." She hugged him back.

"It's okay. I understand," she said emotionally. Tears were in her eyes. "I'm just glad you're back. You are too special to lose."

"You are too," He said. "I'm glad we are at least friends."

"Me too. I love you," She said. He looked up. "As friends of course." He laughed.

"I love you too... but as more," he said sincerely. She laughed with him.

"I know." A beep from her earrings interrupted them. "Oh my gosh. I gotta go! Bug out!" He watched her swing away before he went home.

 _ **At his house:**_

"She said she loved me," he sighed dreamily.

"As friends," Plagg reminded him.

"Still. I know she cares and that's enough for now."

"You're really never giving her up?"

"Never."


	25. Chapter 25: The Rescuer ( part 1)

After all the drama over the weekend Adrien was glad to just go back to school and hang out with his friends.

"Hey guys," he yelled from the inside of his limo. His head was out the window and he was waving happily.

"Wow he looks happy," Marinette said. "I wonder what's up. Last time someone was this happy on their way to school I got two new siblings." She winked at Alya and they burst out laughing. "Hi Adrien," she said as he strolled up to the group. "What's up? How was the rest of your weekend?" She asked.

"Great," he sighed dreamily. All he could think about was the fact that Ladybug had told him she loved him.

"Okay dream boy," Alya joked. "So anyone want to hang out after school? Kim invited me to go swimming and said I could bring anyone I wanted. Max and Ivan are already going."

"Sounds fun," Nino chirped. "I'll be there!"

"Me too," Marinette nodded. "Let me just text my parents quick." She pulled out her phone and punched in the numbers. After a minute she said, "yeah it's okay. I'm going!" Alya hugged her.

"Yay! How bout you Adrien?" She asked. Everyone looked at him with anticipation.

"You know my dad. Last week he only agreed because Sabine and Tom are his old friends. He'll never let me," he said sadly. His happy mood was suddenly gone. "He's been so cold since mother's death. It's been years. He should be over it by now... but you know I can't blame him. I miss her too..." he was so down in the dumps he couldn't even remember what Ladybug had said. Nino put his hand on his shoulder. Marinette remembered that day. She attended the funeral. It was before she had left. Her and Adrien had been so close it felt like she had lost a mother as well. Mrs. Agreste had been such a big part of her life. Her eyes teared up and she was beginning to cry. She didn't want Adrien to feel bad so she turned away.

"I gotta go grab my homework from my locker," she whispered. "I'll meet you guys in class." Adrien glanced up and through his watered eyes he saw her saddened expression as she walked off in the direction of the locker rooms.

"I didn't mean to bum her out," he said quietly. Nobody noticed. "I gotta go too. Meet you in class," he said louder. Nino and Alya nodded and headed off. He followed Marinette into the locker room and caught up right when she made it to her locker. He grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. Tears were slipping down her face and her eyes were puffy. He pulled her close and embraced her softly. "It's okay. Please tell me what's wrong," he said gently. He didn't let go even when she started to cry harder. Tears and snot stained his shirt but he didn't care. He loved her too much. "Is it about my mom?" She nodded embarrassed.

"I know I shouldn't be so upset. It's not even my mother. I should be the one comforting you," She said breaking free from his grasp. "I just... I really loved her. She was like a second mother to me. I'm sorry." He held her hands and stared into her eyes sadly.

"Don't be sorry. I understand. We were like family. I would be just as upset if it happened to someone in your family." He gently brushed her hair from her face and dug into his pocket to give her a tissue. "Here," he smiled. "We better get to class." She agreed and latched onto his arm to give him one last hug.

"Thanks, I'm glad you understand. It's kind of embarrassing to cry over this since you're acting so strong." He patted her back gently.

"It's okay..." He said happily. "Crybaby," He joked. She shoved him over but his foot caught on hers and she ended up falling right on top of him. They broke out in hysterics. "Ow!" He laughed. Adrien stared up at Marinette's beautiful face smiling and had the sudden urge to kiss her.

'No Agreste! Why are you doing this to yourself? You can only like one girl and that girl is Ladybug!' He scolded himself silently. He glanced up at her again and she wasn't laughing anymore. Just staring at him smiling.

"You're really pretty when you smile," he said without thinking. 'Good going man. Now she probably thinks you like her!' He thought to himself. She just smiled and said,

"Thanks bro," and got off of him. She pulled him up and smiled.

"Ya know... I miss her just as much as you," he said shyly. She held his hand.

"I know... but she'd want us to stay happy. Let's conjure school today in honor of Emilie!" She said triumphantly. He nodded and they rushed to class aware that they were very late. They never let go of each other's hands while they ran. The first period bell had rung nearly 10 minutes ago. When they entered, every face in the room looked at them as though they had just killed someone. Walking into class late is super embarrassing to say the least.

"Sorry we're late. Locker issues," Adrien said quietly. They ducked their heads and took their places next to their friends.

"What took you so long?" Alya asked once Marinette had taken her seat. "Are you okay?" She sounded worried but still interested.

"I got kind of upset about Emilie and I didn't want Adrien to see me cry but he followed me and comforted me so I'm fine now. No need to worry," she said quickly. She didn't want the teacher to hear her. She was already getting a tardy she didn't need to get into any more trouble.

"What do you mean comforted you?" Alya asked suspiciously. She raises her eyebrows and gave her a sly smile. Marinette looked flushed so she added," just kidding. I know you don't like him anymore but I need details. Come on spill!" She pleaded.

"Okay I'll give you deets later when we're picking out swimsuits for the pool," she said.

 _ **After school:**_

"Let's stop at my house first," Alya said after school. "See ya there Nino!" She blew a kiss to him.

"Ooh! Do you like Nino?" Marinette asked.

"Of course not! It was just a joke," Alya said defensively.

"I was just kidding," Marinette laughed. "Let's hurry!" They ran all the way to Alya's house and were exhausted by the time they arrived. Sweat dripped down their brows.

"Hurry up and choose one," Marinette said slowly. "I need to get into that cool water as soon as possible." They climbed up the stairs of her apartment building and made it to her room.

"Ok spill," Alya said while digging through her dressers. "What happened with Adrien?"

"He came and hugged me and said he understood. Nothing much. He was just being a good friend," Marinette sighed lazily.

"And? Anything else?" Alya asked skeptically.

"And.. I sort of fell on top of him," she said quietly. She was hoping Alya didn't hear but unfortunately she did.

"OMG GIRL REALLY!?" Alya asked surprised.

"Yeah..." Marinette started. "But it meant nothing. I have a boyfriend and he doesn't even like me. Jackson's the man for me and I can tell Adrien has a crush on a certain someone."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"He has that look in his eye that says he's in love. I just can't pinpoint who it is. Maybe she goes to a different school," she said.

"Or maybe **he** goes to our school. Ever think about that?" Alya said nonchalantly. Marinette was shocked.

"You think?" She asked startled.

"No I'm just kidding," Alya said laughing. "He would have told us. He's one of our best friends." Marinette took a deep breath in.

"But what if..." she droned off. She knew Alya was right. He told her everything. "Hurry up!" She yelled changing the subject.

"Okay fine. How about this blue one?" She asked.

"Love it. Now let's go to my house. I already know which suit I want and we can pick up a few macaroons for our friends," she said.

"Sounds yum," Alya said as they started the short walk to the bakery. "You know, your parents are becoming pretty popular across Paris?" She mentioned.

"Yeah business is really booming. Everyone loves them," Marinette said continuing the small talk.

"The news said they could become the most popular bakery in all of Paris for their bread alone," a familiar voice spoke behind them. They turned to see Luka, Juleka's older brother.

"Oh hey," Marinette said. "I don't think we've been formally introduced." She offered her hand to him and he kissed it gently. She blushed. "I'm Marinette."

"I know. Your Juleka's friend right? My name's Luka."

"Hi Luka," she answered.

"So what's up Luka?" Alya asked butting in.

"Nino invited me to the pool and I saw you guys and decided to ask to walk with you. You know to get to know you more. You seem like pretty cool girls," he said.

"Well I'm gonna grab some things from my house quick but you can come if you'd like," Marinette said. He agreed and began walking with them. They continued their small talk until they reached the bakery. "Well we're here. Wait downstairs and we'll be right back. I'd invite you to my room but my parents might not approve. Can you maybe grab the bag of macaroons from my dad?" She said while heading upstairs. Alya followed behind her. He nodded and went towards the kitchen to find Mr. Dupain Cheng.

"Hey I'm Mari's friend. Kind of," He said. "She asked me to grab the macaroons while she grabbed her pool stuff." Tom turned around and handed him a plastic container containing the most delicious smells that ever had the pleasure of gracing his nose. "Wow these smell delicious Mr. D!" Luka said ecstatically.

"Why thank you young man," he said sincerely. "Now tell me are you and Marinette actually just friends?" He asked eying him.

"To be honest we kind of just met today so I don't even know if we are friends but I'd love to get to know her. She seems like a nice girl," Luka said honestly.

"Well I did raise an amazing daughter," Tom said modestly. "But right now she's stuck in a relationship with this Jackson guy. I didn't want to tell her but I never liked that guy. He was too cocky. I'm afraid he isn't going to be loyal when they're half way across the world. He isn't the smartest but he is handsome. Girls back in America could hardly resist him. I just hope he isn't going to break my little girl's heart. Tom noticed Luka staring so he said, "I probably shouldn't have told you that much... I was just kind of hoping you would talk her out of it but since you guys aren't really friends that might be difficult."

"I'd hate to intervene in her relationship. If it isn't gonna work out they'll break up and that'll be that but you gotta trust that your daughter can make decisions on her own without any interference. Don't worry. Mari seems smart. She'll figure it out if that guy's a dog."

"Thanks..."

"Luka."

"Well Thanks Luka. You're one smart kid. I'll try to remember what you said. Have fun at the pool and don't forget the macaroons!" He said as Luka exited the kitchen. Marinette and Alya were trotting down the stairs when he got to the front door.

"Ready! Thanks for waiting," Marinette said cheerfully. She had a pink duffel bag slung over her shoulder. "Let's go!" They started the walk towards the pool. Luka made small talk with Mari while Alya posted some fan theories on her blog. When they arrived the girls went to their locker room to change and Luka just pulled off his shirt. He had already been wearing his swimsuit as shorts. Marinette and Alya returned a few minutes later looking stunning. Alya had on a blue one piece with a frilly too and Mari wore a pink bikini with white spots on it. Luka was speechless. She looked like an angel with the natural lighting from the glass roof reflecting off her. She had twin Minnie buns on her head and gracefully dived into the pool next to where he was treading.

"Wow you look amazing," he breathed. She didn't hear him. She was too busy perfecting her underwater flip. The gang splashed around some more until everyone showed up. Then they started a game of Marco Polo. After a few turns Marinette was it.

"Marco," she yelled. Everyone around her yelled back polo but the first one she heard was Luka. She quickly swam next to him and grabbed him. Her arms were around his neck when he pulled the blindfold off her. "Gotcha!" She laughed and let go. Luka couldn't help but feel accomplished even if he had just been tagged. He slipped the blindfold on and continued the game. Around 4:37 Marinette's phone beeped alerting her of a new message. She got out of the pool interrupting the game. She looked at it smiling but after reading it her expression changed dramatically. She ran to the locker room crying and flung her phone in the pool. Luka caught it a millisecond before it touched the water. He quickly followed her along with Alya, Rose, and several other friends. She was in the girl's room so Luka wasn't allowed in and he waited by the door. The girls went in to see what happened. They came out a few minutes later surrounding Marinette who had calmed down significantly. She eyes weren't full of tears anymore but you could tell she was still upset.

"We're leaving early," Alya announced. Luka pushed his way through the group of diverting girls.

"What's wrong Marinette?" He asked. She looked up and he saw real pain in her eyes.

"My first ever boyfriend just dumped me," she said weakly. It sounded pitiful and drained and Luka knew she wouldn't be able to get over it for awhile. Mostly everyone had went back to the pool by now but Alya and Luka remained by her side.

"Let's get you home girl," Alya said. She wrapped a towel around her friend's shoulders.

"Bye Luka. Can you bring the macaroon container to school tomorrow?" Marinette asked. He nodded and let go of the hand he didn't know he was holding. He felt sorry for her. He wanted to pummel the guy who dumped her over text. What did she say his name was again? Her father was right. He was a jerk!

"I hate him whoever he is!" He yelled once the girls had left. He didn't notice but a small purple butterfly had entered the room. It went and touched Marinette's phone. He had still been holding it. A dark voice entered his head.

"Hello rescuer," Hawkmoth said. "I can help you reach your goal."

"What goal?" Luka asked curiously.

"To break the heart of everyone who has hurt someone before," he said simply.

"Even Jackson?" He asked. He somehow knew the exact name of the guy who had just broken his friend's heart.

"Yes, even Jackson." Hawkmoth had no idea how he'd pull that off but he had to try in order to obtain the miracle stones. "Now remember for all this power I will need something in return."

"Anything."

"Chat Noir and Ladybug's miraculous."

"Yes Hawkmoth."

"Go to her rescuer. Fix her broken heart and crush the one who destroyed it." Luka transformed in a swarm of purplish goo and became the Rescuer. He looked just like a hero but he was anything but it. He had only one thing on his mind: **revenge**.

"Jackson will get all he deserves."

 _ **Meanwhile at Marinette's house:**_

"It's okay dear. There will be other boys," Tom said trying to sooth his crying daughter. He wasn't going to say it but he was actually glad Jackson had broken up with her. Like he said earlier, she deserved better and him breaking up with her was just a doorway for her to step into a better relationship.

"You don't understand dad! He broke my heart and not only that, he betrayed me as well and so did my best friend!"

"What do you mean?" Tom asked.

"He broke up with me for Blythe!" She yelled. Tom was shocked. He knew Jackson was a bad guy but he never thought Blythe would have that in her.

"And she was okay with that?" Screamed Alya. "Some best friend," she sneered.

"She **was** one of my best friends but now I don't know who to trust!" Marinette cried. She looked up at Alya. "you would never do that to me, right?" She asked.

"Of course not girl," Alya started. "I don't know if you'd noticed yet but I'm a good friend." Marinette laughed slightly before going back to crying. She was quickly interrupted by a knock on the window. Everyone turned but there was nothing there.

"Stay back girls," Tom whispered. "I'm gonna lock it." He inched towards the window anticipating an intruder. "Who's there?" He made it to the window and locked it. Nothing happened. No intruder, no jump scare, no nothing. "It was probably just the win..." before he could finish the glass shattered into millions of pieces as a masked figure leapt through the window. He stood in the middle of the room for a few seconds as everyone was shocked into silence. No one moved for awhile. Then he spoke.

"Marinette," He said. Alya and Tom stared at her.

"M..m..meee?" She asked shakily. He nodded and started walking towards her. Tom quickly intervened.

"You can't take her. I won't let you!" He announced strongly. "I forbid it! She's my daughter and I'm going to protect her." Luka glared at Tom before saying,

"I don't think you have a choice." He suddenly disappeared and then reappeared next to Marinette and grabbed onto her. He flew out of the room with her screaming.

"MARINETTE!" Tom screamed from the window. Alya and him were reaching out the window to grasp onto Marinette but they were too late. Luka has already escaped with her in his arms.

"Help!" Marinette screamed. She yelled and screamed hoping Chat Noir would somehow hear her. They were in broad daylight so she was sure he'd be awake. "Let me go! Who even are you?" She asked.

"I'm rescuer. I've come to save you from your heart break."

"That's not much information," she said suspiciously. "What do you mean? Do I know you?" She reached to pull off his mask but to no avail. It wouldn't come off. It was magic just like her own.

"Stop with the questions. You'll be safe soon and Jackson will pay for what he did." She thought over what he said. Who was with her at the pool when it happened?

"Luka?" She asked surprised. "Is that you?"

"Not anymore. Luka is nothing. I am rescuer now."

"Oh Luka..." she sighed. "I can't believe how much you care for me and I'm sorry for doing this but..." She punched him in the stomach and when he let go she reached for a nearby building and slid through the open window. A family was sitting behind it watching a television show. "Run! Someone's been akumatized!" She warned. They instantly went to their safe room and invited her to join them but she refused saying she had to find Ladybug and Chat Noir to save Paris. Once they had left she transformed and called Chat Noir. He wasn't in costume. "Go figures. I guess I'll have to manage on my own for now." Just as she was about to leave Luka swung in through the window after her.

"Marinette where are you?" He asked.

"Marinette isn't here. I hid her somewhere you'll never find her," Ladybug said confidently.

"It's Ladybug! Get her miraculous at once!" Hawkmoth yelled.

"Yes Hawkmoth," Luka breathed. "Come here Ladybug. I'm not going to hurt you if you hand over your miraculous. I am a hero after all. It's my job to protect Paris and I can't do that without my powers from Hawkmoth." She slowly backed away from him until she hit the way.

"Lucky Charm!" She yelled. A phone appeared in her hand. The news station was dialed. She pressed call. "There's an akumatized villain on the loose. Broadcast this all across Paris. I need Chat Noir to see this." TVs everywhere we're tuned into the news station and one of them was in the Agreste home. Adrien was watching tv with Nathalie when the alert came on.

"Ummm I got to go use the bathroom... I'll be right back!" He said while anxiously exiting the room. "Plagg where are you?" He asked when he got to the safety of his bedroom.

"I don't want to transform!" He whined. "I already had to deal with you be akumatized last week. I deserve a break!" Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Maybe next week. Come on Ladybug needs us. Claws out!" He yelled. Plagg grabbed onto the table he was perched on and held on for dear life but the miraculous pulled him in as he grumpily whined.

"You better buy me Camembert!..." he yelled as he disappeared into the ring. His voice faded with him. Adrien transformed and hopped out the window calling Ladybug. She picked up instantly. "Where you at M'lady?" He asked flirtatiously. He still couldn't get over how she had told him she loved him

"1802 Montaigne Avenue. Be quick. I have a plan."

"Already on my way," he answered. He found her in the top apartment in less than 5 minutes. Luka has somehow managed to pin her down and was about to take out her earrings when Chat Noir burst through the open window screaming, "let my lady go!" Luka jumped back in surprise nearly knocking over a bookshelf and dazing him long enough for Ladybug to jump back onto her feet.

"I knew I could count on you!" He smiled when he saw her. He had just rescued the love of his life but now he had a villain to deal with...


	26. Chapter 26: The Rescuer (part 2)

"Get back here!" Luka yelled from the floor. Ladybug was about to run over to Chat but her foot was caught under the bookshelf. She fell back down.

"Ahh!" She screamed in pain. Her ankle was sprained. Chat watched in horror as Luka regained his strength and snatched Ladybug from where she was laying. He ran for the door and hurried down the stairs. For a few seconds Chat was too stunned too move but after remembering his mission he chased Luka down the stairs and out the door. When he exited the building Luka was already disappearing from view with Ladybug in his arms. She was struggling but her ankle hurt too much for her to concentrate.

"I gotta save her," Chat whispered to himself. "Don't worry Ladybug. I'll find you." He tried to keep up but Luka was too fast so instead he stopped and pulled out his tracker to find Ladybug's coordinates. They were heading towards the Pont des Arts bridge. "I've got you now." He made it to the bridge to find Ladybug tied upside down on a street pole struggling to escape. Her yo-yo had been taken by Luka and he was about to throw it in the river to be lost forever. "Hey give that back!" The yo-yo dropped from his hand in surprise and Chat dived in after it without a second thought. The cold surged through his entire the body the second his skin touched the water. Pain shot through his veins. He screamed but the water muffled him. He gained his thoughts and swam deeper into the water chasing the quick sinking yo-yo. When he finally snatched it up he was losing air. He had to get to the surface fast. He was treading viciously until he reached the surface. He gasped for breath and his lungs filled with the sweetest air he could remember. He was just glad to be alive. After a minutes hesitation he got up to finish the fight. Ladybug was now unconscious and Chat knew he didn't have much time if he planned on saving her. He used his pole to travel to her.

"Cataclysm!" He yelled slicing through the ropes. She fell instantly and he had to jump backwards down the pole to catch her. "Gotcha!" His ring beeped. He had five minutes before he transformed back. Ladybug's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Ch.. Chat? What happened?" She stuttered. He placed her gently on the ground against a shrub.

"Ssshhhhh... stay hidden. Regain your strength and we'll talk later." She didn't argue. Her whole body hurt. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. Luka was nowhere in sight. Chat hadn't seen him since he went to get Ladybug's yo-yo. Where was he hiding? It didn't matter. It gave him time to retransform. "Claws off." Plagg appeared in front of him. When he saw Ladybug lying limply in the shrubs behind him he freaked out.

"Is she okay? What if she wakes up? She'll see you!" He started a rant but Adrien managed to shut him up by shoving a spare piece of Camembert he kept in his pockets into his mouth. When he finished eating he asked, "So what's our plan Adrien? We can't stay in the bushes forever and eventually Ladybug will wake up." Adrien glanced over at his sleeping beauty.

"I sure hope so," Adrien mumbled. Plagg placed his paw on Adrien's shoulder.

"She'll be okay. Ladybug's one tough girl. If anyone can do it she can." He said softly. "But we gotta come up with a plan or the Rescuer will never be stopped."

"You're right. We gotta find him... Plagg claws out!" Adrien transformed and swiftly exited the bushes. No sneak attack. No nothing. It was like Luka hadn't even been there but then a quiet scream could be heard from a few miles away. Chat's cat ears helped but he could barely hear it. It was coming from... Marinette's house! "Oh no! I'm coming Marinette!" He yelled while following the sound. When he arrived Luka was hovering above Sabine and Tom. Tom was clutching a frying pan and Sabine was hiding behind him.

"I'll ask one more time! Where is Marinette!?" Luka screamed. "She escaped so she must have returned home! Where is she?!"

"I... I don't know," Sabine replied shakily. "She never returned." Chat hadn't been noticed yet. He was peeking in through the window. Where had Marinette gone and what did Luka have against her? He had a choice now. Run through the doors to stop Luka and save the Dupain Chengs or go find Marinette while Ladybug regains her strength. The second option would be the better plan. Marinette could be bait and he needed Ladybug to defeat Luka but something in his heart told him it wasn't right to leave his best friend's parents alone with the villain. He had to rescue them. He slowly crept over to the door making sure to be as quiet as a mouse than at the last second he body slammed into the door and tumbled through their front entrance.

"I'm here to save you!" He yelled. Luka looked furious.

"I'm the only hero in Paris! We don't need you anymore!" He sent a rush of fire headed straight towards Chat's face. He expertly dogged it and make a charge to the villain.

"Ai ya!" He yelled as he karate chopped Luka in the stomach. He fell to the ground writhing in pain. Chat helped Mr and Mrs Dupain Cheng to their feet and they ran out the doors screaming.

"Where is our poor Marinette?" Tom thought aloud. "She had been captured by the Rescuer but he had no idea where she was!" Chat placed a paw on his shoulder.

"She's going to be fine. On my honor," he promised. "But you gotta hide. I'll find her and return her to you safely." He saluted them and flew off into the sky using his pole. They quickly rushed into a neighboring building and found refuge with their friends. "Now where in all of Paris is that girl hiding?" He asked annoyed. He decided the best place to check first would be at Alya's. "If I know my girl at all she'll be with her best friend in a time of need." He made his way to the apartment building and hopped through an unlocked window. Alya, Nino, Chris, Ella, and Etta were sitting in the living room playing a board game. They all sat in shocked silence for a few seconds when the saw him but it didn't last long. Alya had her phone out recording and the kids were all over him.

"Omg freak out! Chat Noir is in my house! I can't believe it!" Alya said to the camera.

"Chat Noir? Why are you here?" Nino asked. Chat scanned the room hoping to find a bag or phone that indicated Marinette was here and just in the bathroom.

"Is Marinette here?" He asked after a pause. Alya kept recording.

"Omg why? Hey everyone my best friend knows a superhero!"

"Someone's been akumatized. He's looking for her. I thought she'd be here..." he said sadly. He turned to leave but Alya stopped him.

"If Marinette's in trouble we're coming too!" Alya said confidently.

"No you're not!" A strong voice echoed from the open window. It was Ladybug!

"You're okay?!" Chat screamed gleefully. He rushed over to hug his Lady. "I'm so glad! Don't ever do that to me again!" Alya caught the whole thing.

"Wow what do you mean is she okay?" She asked.

"Well The Rescuer kind of captured her earlier.." he said sadly remembering what had happened. "I didn't do a well enough job protecting her and somehow she got hurt..."

"It's okay Chat. I'm fine now and it's not your fault. I should have been able to save myself." She let go of his embrace. "Enough of the weepy stuff. We gotta save Paris!" She dragged him out the window and leapt into the sky. They raced from building top to building top in search of Luka. They didn't notice Alya following on the ground with her bike.

"We gotta find Marinette Dupain Cheng! She needs to be our bait!" Chat yelled as they ran.

"We don't need her! I've got a plan," Ladybug lied. Just then she noticed Alya following behind on her bike and she stopped in her tracks. "I already know where Marinette is! Umm meet me at the Eiffel Tower in 10 minutes!" She yelled and jumped off the building. Chat did as he was told without arguing. Ladybug jumped over Alya and landed next to her swiftly. Alya's breaks screeched and she started recording her hero. "Alya we're having difficulties locating your friend. Will you be our stand in to save Paris?"

"Of course! Here that everyone? I'm gonna help Ladybug and Chat Noir save Paris! Stay tuned!" She shut off her camera and waited patiently for whatever was about to happen.

"Lucky charm!" A costume appeared. "Just as I predicted! Here put this on." It was a Marinette costume. Clothes, wig, and shoes.

"Love the costume change but I don't think we're fooling anyone with this." Ladybug looked around and grabbed a biker helmet and some gloves and handed them to her. "Great idea LB! Oh.. can I call you that?"

"Sure! We are friends anyways." Alya freaked out.

"Omg omg omg omg omg omg Ladybug just called me her friend!"

"Calm down Alya! We need to make it to the Eiffel Tower in two minutes. Climb on my back." She swung them to where Chat was hiding. "Turn on the camera. Inform everyone of where "Marinette" is hiding." She winked at Alya. Chat didn't get it. Alya let out a cough and adjusted her voice.

"Citizens of Paris, especially Luka I would like to inform you that I, Marinette am here at the Eiffel Tower awaiting capture so please hurry up! Thank you that will be it!" She said squeakily. She shut off the camera and gave Ladybug a swift high five.

"Great job! He'll be here any minute now." They waited only 2 minutes before Luka arrived. Ladybug's earrings beeped.

"Aw frick! I forgot about that! I gotta go retransform." She said while running towards the elevator. "Stall until I return."

When she left Chat Noir mumbled, "No way that's happening. He's here now. I gotta prove my worth. I messed up earlier and I gotta regain my importance on this team. Come on Marinette. Let's go on with the plan and when Ladybug returns the akuma will be out for her to capture." Alya hesitated.

"I don't think it's smart to disobey Ladybug's wishes. She may get upset..."

"No way! She'll be proud of us for handling the situation on our own. Come on, let's defeat the Rescuer together! Don't you trust me?" He gave her a sincere look and reached out a hand for her.

"Okay... let's do it!" She said grabbing ahold of his hand. Chat couldn't help but blush a little. He loved Marinette in a unique way. She was special to him but he knew in his heart the only girl he was truly in love with was the girl hiding behind Ladybug's mask. He swung her onto his back and gently slid down his pole onto the middle layer of the Eiffel Tower. Luka was waiting for them.

"M... Marinette!" Luka mumbled. "Why did you run? You know I only wanted to protect you!" He shouted while walking towards them. "Come with me... I'll never break your heart and... Jackson will pay for what he did to you!"

"Marinette would never be in love with someone like you! You kidnapped her from her home and let yourself be akumatized by the worst villain in all of Paris!" Chat yelled back. He was guarding Alya behind him.

"It's not like that!" His pace was picking up. He had almost reached them. "Let me love you Marinette!" Chat was in battle stance ready but suddenly he saw a graceful whoosh land in front of him. It was Ladybug.

"I thought I told you to stall!" She yelled angrily.

"I wanted to prove myself to you..." he whispered. She glanced back at him quickly. He looked upset.

"Stick with the plan. We're a team. We gotta do this together," she told him. She reached for his hand and gave him a quick squeeze to assure him she wasn't angry. Meanwhile Luka was quickening his pace as he raced towards them. "Lucky charm!" She yelled when he was inches from her face. He was so surprised that he fell onto his back when she yelled. Handcuffs appeared. Alya, Luka, and a pile of rope glowed in her vision. "I have a plan but you're not gonna like it." She grabbed Alya from Chat and quickly handcuffed her to the discombobulated Luka.

"What the heck?!" Alya screamed.

"Grab the rope!" Ladybug yelled. Luka was trying to get up but Alya held him down.

"Let me up! Marinette!" Luka was yelling. "Come on!" Chat grabbed on end of the rope and Ladybug grabbed the other. They walked circles around the pair in opposite direction and tied them up. Alya and Luka were smushed together. "Marinette! Why would you help them?!"

"I didn't think this was gonna happen!" Alya yelped.

"Wait... you don't sound like Marinette!" He shrieked. He struggled to push her helmet off. It slid off and exposed Alya's face. She smiled nervously.

"Surprise..." she said slowly. It just angered Luka more.

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY MARINETTE!?" He shouted. Chat was too shocked about what was happening to remember the plan. He just stood their holding his end of the rope.

"Plagg get your cataclysm ready!" Ladybug said lunging for Luka's pocket. He was tied up and unable to stop her as she dug her phone out of his jacket. "Got it!" She yelled throwing it to Chat as Luka's free hand grasped onto her hair. "Eeeeek!" She cried.

"Ladybug! Are you okay?!" He yelled running towards her.

"Just grab the phone!" She screamed harshly.

"Cataclysm!" He said a millisecond before the phone hit his hand. It was destroyed and he ran to help his lady from the villain's clutches.

"Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow!" She said while Chat tried to free her. He ended up cutting off a ponytail with his claws.

"Your hair?!" He said stunned. "I didn't mean to! It was a mistake! He wouldn't let go and..." he started ranting.

"It's okay. Let's deal with the situation then worry about my hair," she said motioning towards Alya and Luka tied up and trying to escape. She caught the akuma and yelled, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Everything that was destroyed was restored including her pigtail. Alya and the now unakumatized Luka were sitting in a heap where they had been formerly tied up.

"You had a good plan after all," Chat said helping Alya to her feat. "But I'm confused. Why didn't we just use Marinette? Why Alya?" He asked.

"She was the only one I could find on short notice. Marinette must be hiding somewhere," she said knowingly.

"Ah I get it now." He turned to Alya. "Thank you so much for your help. We couldn't do it without you. She blushed and turned on her camera.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir have just saved Paris from our latest villain, The Rescuer. Paris can sleep peacefully tonight. What do you have to say to that?" She said turning to Luka.

"Where am I?" He asked rubbing his head. "I'm so confused." Alya turned to catch the moment the heroes fist bumped.

"Another success. Now we better get these citizens home before their parents start to worry." Chat said.

"I'll take Luka," Ladybug offered. She was holding her phone. "And I'll find Marinette on my way. He probably wants to see her."

"Great. I'll take Alya." Both their miraculous beeped. "And we better hurry!" Ladybug rushed over to Luka.

"Here. You might wanna return this to that Marinette character. Um... may I ask who she is? Anyone special to you?" He blushed.

"Just a friend but I've had a crush on her forever. I'd known her since kindergarten but she never noticed me. She moved away awhile back and when she returned she had a boyfriend. I stayed away because I didn't want to pressure her into being unloyal. Today her boyfriend broke up with her and I guess I just couldn't believe how anyone could break her heart. I got super angry and I lashed out. It won't happen again. I promise." He looked at her and realized what he'd just told her. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rant. It's just she's really special and... I don't know. I guess we better go return her phone." Ladybug smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Let's go get your girl," she said confidently. She jumped off the building as he yelled,

"What!?" When they arrived to Marinette's home Ladybug quickly exited the situation only leaving Luka with one piece of advice.

"Tell her how you feel now. You never know. Maybe her breakup was a sign that it was meant to be. Go for it. Rejection will only hurt more if you wait," and with that she was gone... sort of. She was really just going to the top of the building to detransform in her room. When Luka rung the doorbell she was already down there.

"Hey Marinette. You... um... forgot your phone," he said quickly placing it in her hands. He turned to walk away. "Okay bye!" She grabbed his wrist.

"Luka wait..." she said. He turned and looked into her eyes. "Can we talk?" He slowly nodded and followed her into the living room. He sat down across from her and she began with, "thank you for returning my phone."

"Yeah... no problem. So... what's up?"

"It was so cool of you to care about me so much. No one was ever akumatized to help spare my feelings," she joked. He looked down. "I think it was really brave of you to stand up for me like that."

"Well... you're welcome."

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked nervously.

"Of course."

"I think you're really cute," she murmured. He stood up excited.

"Really?!" He asked happily. He was beaming.

"Well of course... and you're kind, and brave, and sweet but..."

"Yes?"

"I'll need a little time to get over Jackson."

"I'll wait for you as long as it takes." She smiled and stood up to hug him.

"Good. I'll come find you as soon as I'm ready."

"Can't wait," he winked as he headed for the door. Once he left Tikki appeared.

"A new love interest already? Chat isn't gonna like this," She said.

"You know I'm not into him."

"Well... what about Adrien?"

"We will always be friend but I haven't liked him since elementary school. I've just been dumped. I'd like to skip the whole boy subject for now, okay?" Tikki squeezed her shoulder.

"Of course Marinette"


	27. Chapter 27: Fifth Wheel

Marinette woke up confused. Her face was wet, her hair was tangled, and her breathing was off. A giant black blanket was draped over top off her. She didn't know where she was but then she remembered; she was at Alya's. She escaped from the blanket to find even more surrounding her. They had built a fort last night. It had been a girl's night to talk about guys. Marinette had cried about Jackson and Alya had raved about her crush on Nino. Somehow she felt content. Alya's talking had made her feel better about her breakup. She was refreshed and over it. Was she ready to talk to Luka? That was still a mystery but what she did know was she didn't need Jackson anymore. She was a free woman. Free from relationships, free from pain, and free from all the anxiety she got from trying to impress him. Alya then entered the room.

"Oh you're awake?" She said carrying a tray. "I brought pop tarts and orange juice!" Marinette rolled her eyes.

"I love you!" She exclaimed.

"You know I always got what you need," she joked. She placed the tray on the stacked pile of mattresses which Marinette was currently laying on. "How are you feeling?" She asked suddenly serious. "You were really upset yesterday."

"Well I got a small headache from all the crying but..." she paused to think. "I kind of just needed to let it all out. I don't even remember why I was so unhappy. He's just a stupid boy and..." Alya was shoving a chocolate pop tart in her mouth. "I've already got someone lined up to ''replace'' him." She snuck the last part in with a whisper but sadly Alya was too smart not to catch it. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. The orange juice she was using to wash down the pop tart spurted out of her nose and mouth. Marinette stifled a laugh.

"Omg! Who? Who? Whooooooooo?" Alya shrieked. Marinette pursed her lips and smiled. "Marinette! Come on! You gotta tell me!" She was clutching her shoulders staring at her. "You can't just bring up something that big and not tell me! O. M. G. IS IT ADRIEN?!" She let go of her and fell on her back giggling. "Please say it is! You'd be so cute! Remember when we first became friends? I told you I'd make it my mission to win his heart for you. I can still fulfill my promise you know?" She raised her eyebrow at Marinette laughing.

"No way! It's Luka actually..." she said subtlety. It was nothing admitting this to her best friend. She had a crush on Luka and she didn't care if Alya thought Adrien was a better match. Alya sprang up.

"REALLY?!" She sounded even more excited than before. "How cute! I always thought he liked you. Maybe when I snag a boyfriend we can go on double dates together." She gave her a fake flirty look and burst into hysterics. Marinette grinned at her friend's excitement.

"I love our friendship," she commented.

"Who wouldn't? We're adorable?" When Alya finished laughing they cleaned up their breakfast and prepared for the day. "Wanna call up Nino and Luka and see if they'd like to meet for a day at the mall? It could be fun."

"Hmmm... I don't know if I'm ready yet. I mean Jackson and I just broke up and I was a wreck just last night."

"Come on. It'd be nice to get all dressed up and feel better about yourself after a night like that." Marinette smiled.

"You've convinced me! Now help me pick out an outfit!" The girls wore some ripped jeans and white cropped T-shirt's to their "date". When they arrived at the mall they were early. Marinette had just received a text from Luka saying he would be a few minutes late. Alya was on the phone with Nino's mom trying to give her directions. When Nino arrived Adrien was following close behind him.

"Hey ladies," Nino said flirtatiously to Alya. She punched him in the arm playfully and noticed Adrien.

"Sorry to be blunt but why's Adrien here?" Adrien looked confused.

"Nino said you invited me," he said turning red. "Am I not wanted here?" He looked sad. Alya looked at Nino with a look telling him he better explain.

"I didn't want Marinette to feel like a third wheel so I decided to bring Adrien," he said nervously rubbing his neck.

"Well now Adrien's gonna feel like a fifth wheel cause of you because she already invited Luka," she huffed obviously annoyed. "Sorry Adrien its not that we didn't want you here but it's just gonna be kind of awkward now." Just as she said that Luka showed up with a huge bouquet of flowers.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I wanted to pick up these so Mari wouldn't feel so bad about her recent breakup." He handed her the flowers and she blushed while taking them.

"Uh.." she stumbled. "Thanks so much! I really appreciate it." She swiftly kissed him on the cheek as a hello gesture and smiled. He began to blush as well. Alya laughed and grabbed Nino's hand forgetting all about Adrien.

"Come on guys! Let's go grab a snack before we go to the movies!" She pulled Nino behind her and left the three of them to walk awkwardly behind them. Since neither Adrien nor Luka were actually Marinette's date she just held both of their arms as she walked. It was quite awkward for all of them but you could tell Luka was enjoying spending time talking with her. When they got to the snack counter Nino offered to pay for Alya. She accepted and started looking for a couple's popcorn pack they could share. When the trio got to the front of the line both Luka and Adrien said they'd pay for Marinette. She let go of both of their arms and pulled her own wallet from her bag.

"It's okay guys. I've got this one. Luka already bought me these awesome flowers." She ordered 3 popcorns, slushees, and candy bars and paid.

"Thanks Mari but you didn't have to do that for both of us," Luka said softly. "Next time I pay, okay?" She smiled and nodded. The trio walked into the rom-com Alya had chosen earlier and sat behind the couple. Luka and Adrien were on opposite sides of Mari once again. She handed them their snacks and the lights flickered off. Only 30 minutes through the movie Marinette was already crying. The main character had just dumped his fiancé for her best friend. This hit way too close to home for Mari. Luka put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

"It's okay," he soothed as she began to cry harder. Adrien wasn't gonna admit it but he kind of felt jealous that he wasn't the one holding her. Minutes later her sobbing was over and she had fallen asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. The movie wasn't even close to over and Luka had to use the restroom. He gently lifted her head and placed her arms in her lap. When he exited she became restless and started moving until her head was rested on Adrien's shoulder. He looked down and saw her peaceful face and smiled. He held her hand so she would stay still and continued watching the movie. When Luka returned he was a little shocked but didn't intercept. Marinette went the rest of the movie sleeping on Adrien's shoulder. When the lights turned on she slowly woke up stretching.

"Did I sleep through the whole movie?" She asked still laying on Adrien. She sighed and turned her head to the ceiling to see his smiling face looking down on her.

"Have a nice nap sis?" He giggled. She jumped from her seat in surprise and burst with so much laughter she nearly fell on the ground.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you," she said once she had calmed her breathing. Luka just awkwardly watched in his seat as his crush laughed and joked with her uninvited "date".

"You actually fell asleep on my shoulder but fell on him when I left for a few minutes," he mumbled saltily.

"Ahh lol well I'm sorry to you too," she said holding his shoulder. Her eyes caught his for a second but she blushed and looked away removing her hand from his shoulder. She felt sincere and it felt like a moment. The group continued on their outing and decided to split up. Alya and Nino wanted to swim and Adrien, Luka, and Mari decided to indoor rock climb. They promise to meet up at one for lunch. When they arrived they get on their harness' and made their way to the tallest tower. Luka would spot Marinette first.

"Go ahead," he said clutching tightly on the rope. She slowly started making her way up, grabbing onto each colorful rock she encountered. She was so near the top when suddenly her foot slipped. She shrieked but Luka didn't let go. He was still holding her. She hung in the air momentarily before grabbing onto the wall again. "You can do it!" He yelled. She made it to the top and rung the bell. She sat on the rock wall and gazed at her friend's proud faces below. Adrien was giving her the thumbs up and Luka was just smiling at her holding the rope back.

"I'm coming down now! Don't let me fall!" She yelled down at him. He nodded and started slowly guiding her decent. When she was about 15 feet from the ground Luka's friend came into the room and slapped his back as a greeting. Luka was so surprised he momentarily let go hurdling Mari towards the ground. She screamed but Adrien lunged forward to catch her before it was too late.

"OH MY GOD MARI! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Luka yells running towards her. His friend followed. Marinette was still stunned and gripping onto Adrien's shirt shaking when he placed her back on her feet. Luka came and hugged her. "I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean to drop you. I'm so glad you're alright," he said all in one breath. She gently released her grip on Adrien and hugged him back. She still hadn't spoken.

"This was all my fault," Elias said from behind Luka. "I'm sorry." Adrien went to fetch a glass of water and an instructor came over to discuss what had happened. Luka explained everything and the group was given a stern warning and Elias was forbidden to touch anyone while they spotted people. She kept a close eye on them for the rest of the time and Mari refused to go up the big wall again but near the end of their time Adrien convinced her to try the medium one. This time he spotted her and Luka stayed below watching incase another accident occurred. She made it to the top and her decent was peaceful.

"I did it!" She yelled when she made it down. By this time Alya had messaged her to meet them by the entrance. When they arrived Alya and Nino were making out against the wall. Marinette giggled and pulled her friends away to give them some privacy. She clutched their arms and brought them over to a nearby bench. She shot Alya a quick text to notify them of their presence and she quickly twirled around to see her friends blushing faces.

"Oh sorry guys," she said walking over to them. "That was embarrassing."

"It's fine. It gave us a good laugh," Adrien chirped.

"Plus your guys' relationship is so cute," Luka added.

"So are we ready to go?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, lets go." When they got to their parents separate cars Alya gave Nino one last kiss and Marinette gave the guys each a hug. They watched as she climbed into the car but a split second before she closed the door Luka yelled, "Wait!" Marinette turned around to see his face five inches apart from hers. "I had a really great time today..." he said shyly. "Would you like to go on a date just us next week?" Marinette smiled.

"How about next Friday?"

"It's a date." She leaned forward and kissed him sweetly.

"Can't wait." He hopped out of the car and she drove away. Adrien was shocked. He had never expected something like this from Luka. He didn't even think Marinette liked him like that but maybe it was for the best... Now he didn't have to wonder about Marinette liking him.


	28. Chapter 28: First date

It was Friday. Luka and Marinette would be going on a date. She couldn't wait. She put on a cute little pink dress and curled her hair. He was picking her up at 6 for dinner at a fancy restaurant. He arrived 10 minutes early with a bouquet of bluebells. She kissed her parents goodbye and joined him on the sidewalk to hail a cab.

"I like your dress," he said shyly.

"Thanks. Your tux is cute too," she replied. He waved down the first cab he saw and opened the door gesturing for her to go first. On the ride there all was silent but the second she saw the restaurant her mouth couldn't be kept shut. "It's so pretty! Look at the railing! Omg! Do we get to sit on the roof? How much did this cost? Luka! You're the absolute best!" She shouted. What she saw was a rooftop garden accompanied by a live classical band and the fanciest tables she'd ever seen. Fairy lights and lanterns were hung everywhere and you could see all of Paris from their table. Crystals were imbedded into the pathway and rose petals were flung everywhere. Marinette suddenly felt very underdressed. Her dress was cute but no where near as fancy as the place she was visiting. She hesitated as they stepped onto the roof. Luka was holding her hand as they walked down the path to their reserved table. "I feel sort of out of place," She mentioned softly. She squeezed her hand and told her not to worry.

"You look way more beautiful than any of the other people here." He pulled out her chair for her and they ordered their drinks. While they were scrolling through the menu Adrien and Nathalie walked through the door. They were placed right next to Luka and Mari. He slid her a quick wave as he sat down and grinned. She waved back and continued to stare at her menu. Don't let him distract you she told herself. She believed she was completely over him since it had been years but deep in your heart you never really stop loving your first crush. Luka noticed him and motioned him over.

"Hey Luka, what's up?" He asked.

"You look like you know your way around this kind of restaurant. You kind of seem.. comfortable. What do you suggest I order?"

"I love the snow crab legs here. They taste amazing and are normal enough to not be considered too fancy. It's a good way to venture into the world of up class dining. Another good choice would be the matzo ball soup which is particularly good here. Most salads here are tasty as well but whatever you do don't try the escargot. It may be a delicacy but it sure is disgusting!"

"Thanks for the advice. I think I'll have the crab."

"Me too," Marinette chirped from the sidelines. Adrien made his way back to his seat as the waitress came back to take their orders. When the food arrived Marinette just stared at it for a minute. She didn't know how to eat it. She hesitantly picked it up and stuck it into her mouth. She bit down and immediately spit it out. "Ugh!" Luka smiled as he saw her struggling. He handed her a fork and demonstrated the proper way to eat it. She blushed embarrassed. She looked down on her food and slowly started eating. "Hey! This is really delicious! I can't believe I never tried it before! I've gotta thank Adrien for the suggestion later." She looked absolutely stunning when she smiled. Luka couldn't help but stare. She looked up at him to see his perfect eyes staring back at her. She was about to look down again when she felt his soft hand on her cheek. He swiftly pushed her hair out of her face and smiled sweetly.

"You're so beautiful," he said. Her face was as red as a tomato. She leaned forward so her face was closer to his.

"And you're absolutely adorable," she whispered. Before she knew it her lips were on his and time momentarily stopped so that she could cherish this memory forever. She felt like they were the only two people on earth. She was breathless. How could one person make her feel so special. Neither of them noticed Adrien staring at them from his seat. They were too caught up in each other's eyes. Adrien didn't realize why but his heart sunk when he saw them together. He had always seen Mari as just a friend but seeing her with someone else broke him. He tried to focus and remember he was in love with Ladybug but it felt as though he'd just lost the love of his life. He couldn't shake the feeling that something in his heart had just gone missing. When he came back from his state of shock he saw the couple giggling and feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries like in the movies.

"I'm not hungry anymore," he told Nathalie wearily. "Let's go home." He headed for the exit but as he passed by their table he felt her hand grab onto his arm.

"Hey Adrien, thanks for the suggestion for dinner. It was delicious," she said smiling. He nodded and told her it was no problem. When her hand let go he couldn't help but feel even worse. The emptiness which had disappeared when she touched him was back again and he was on the verge of tears. He made his way to his limo before completely breaking down but for the rest of the night he couldn't take his mind off of that moment.

Meanwhile Mari and Luka had finished their meal and he was walking her home in the moonlit streets of Paris. Her hand was grasping his and she skipped along the path like a cheerful child.

"Hey Mari," he said suddenly stopping. He pulled her close and held both her hands so she was facing him. "You're the most extraordinary girl Marinette. As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the first day we met. What I'm trying to say here is... I'm in love with you. Will you be my girlfriend?" She was shocked speechless. She couldn't understand how someone so amazing could be in love with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest.

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend," she choked out before sobbing her eyes out.

"Woah, what's wrong Mari?" He said worriedly.

"I'm just so glad I found you," she cried. "You're so much more amazing than Jackson would of ever been." He continued to hug her then walked her the rest of the way home. Before leaving he kissed her goodbye at the door and wished her a goodnight. She went inside to find her parents gleefully celebrating her new boyfriend. They had been watching her. Figures. She said goodnight and promised to invite him over one day. She headed to her room and heard a knock on the door leading to the roof. She opens it to reveal none other than Chat Noir sitting there waiting for her. He looked completely defeated. She made her way up to speak with him. "Oh hey Chat. What's up?" They had become friends through him regularly "saving" her during akuma attacks.

"Marinette... do you think Ladybug will ever love me?"


	29. Chapter 29: Talking to Marinette

She looked at him shocked. She didn't expect this at all.

"Why do you ask?" she asked quietly. She was looking over the balcony avoiding eye contact. He sighed.

"I... I feel like there's really no chance with her and I'm scared that she'll never love me back. I don't want my heart broken but I fear I'll never be able to forget about her. What should I do?" He was staring straight at her.

"You should ask her to be honest. You need to hear the truth," Marinette answered slowly. "You can't keep lying to yourself. If she isn't interested you'll have to hear it from her and accept it," she said firmly. "I know how it feels thinking you'll never find someone better but... if she doesn't love you back then it's not real love. You'll eventually get over her and realize who you're really meant to be with." Silence. Neither spoke for a few minutes. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime Chat jumped down from where he was perched and walked over to her. He grabbed her hands like Luka had grabbed them earlier. She tried not to look at him but the urge was too strong. They were staring into each other's eyes longer than they had just been sitting in silence. When Mari broke the trance they were in by looking away, Chat kissed her cheek and leapt off the balcony.

"Thanks princess," he yelled as he made his way farther and farther from her home. That night Marinette hardly slept thinking about what Chat had said.

The next school day arrived and Adrien felt anything but determination. He felt deflated. In the halls he avoided Mari and Luka and in class he tried to limit conversation. He knew what he had felt. He couldn't just ignore it. The last bell rung and he went to find Marinette leaving the building. He grabbed her shoulder as she was walking and she quickly swung around and nearly fell down the stairs. He caught her like a scene in one of those cheesy rom coms where the main is about to kiss the girl. She quickly regained her composure and said hi.

"Oh hey Adrien. You gave me a shock. What's up?" She said smiling. He thought her smile was dazzling.

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay but I'm going to the pool with Luka now so make it quick."

"It can't be q-"

"Hey beautiful," Luka cut him off. He came up behind Mari and held her in his arms. "Ready to go baby?" Her smile immediately became bigger. She kissed his cheek and forgot all about Adrien for a minute. Adrien knew he couldn't tell her now. He could see how happy she was with him. He couldn't ruin it.

"One sec baby. Adrien wanted to tell me something quick," she said. "What was is you needed to speak with me about?"

"Oh nothing important," he stuttered. "Go have fun with your boyfriend."

"Okay," she said. She kissed his cheek as a goodbye and left. He felt dazed. He knew the kiss was just a French tradition but he felt something in it. He felt meaning. He felt loss. He felt love. He couldn't quit fighting. He'd finalize his feelings with Ladybug. Then he'd tell Mari how he felt. He didn't care if she didn't feel the same way. He just wanted to finally be at peace in his heart. He had to get it off his chest.

(Sorry for such a short chapter. The next few chapters will be the final ones so I've been working on making them as memorable as possible. Thanks for all the support of my story. I hope you'll enjoy the ending. Also the new update was hella confusing and I COULDNT FRICKING FIGURE OUT HOW TO POST WHICH IS WHY IT TOOK SO LONG)


	30. Chapter 30: The Big Plan Part One

That night before patrol Chat made sure he looked his best. He combed through his hair and washed his face. He smiled at the mirror. Tonight was the night he'd be free. He'd be completely vulnerable and give Ladybug his whole heart and if she didn't accept it he'd be okay with it. Tomorrow he'd tell Marinette the truth to get it off his chest and move on. He just hoped it wouldn't affect their friendship too much. He took a single rose from the bushes outside his house. This wouldn't be the first time he had given her a rose but this time it meant more than just a simple gesture. It represented his heart. He glided through the air like a jet. He was practically flying he was going so fast. He hopped on the designated building the second Ladybug's foot reached the top. The moonlight lit her silhouette beautifully. She looked like an angel. Her smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen but for some reason it seemed familiar. He walked up to her and took her hand. He knelt down and presented the rose to her.

"M'lady, you look paw-sitively purrfect," he meowed. She laughed and took the rose gratefully.

"Thanks kitty." She didn't try to put down his love gesture. This gave Chat a new burst of confidence. He was now only 95% sure she'd reject him instead of the 100% he felt earlier.

"M'lady, I've got to tell you something."

"Okay Kitty. Shoot."

"I know you don't love me but tonight I've decided to put my whole heart forward and get the feelings off my chest so I can move on..." Ladybug looked sad. She knew she'd be breaking her best friends heart tonight.

"Chat plea..."

"No Ladybug I've got to get this off my chest or I'll never be able to start my search for the real love of my life. Since the day I've met you I've been hopelessly in love with you. Who wouldn't be? You're perfect in every way. Brave, beautiful, smart, and the most responsible and loyal person I've ever met. You put your job as a hero above everything but somehow you also manage to follow your heart through it all and find balance between being strong minded and doing what's right for the people you love and care for. You're a natural born leader and know how to get us out of every situation we've been put in. Ladybug, you're perfect and I love you." They we're both crying at this point. She knelt down and hugged him.

"Chat, you're perfect too. I love you like I've known you my entire life but we're just going to happen romantically. Our identities are too important and I love someone else. I hope you understand. You're my best friend and I'd never want to lose you ever."

"I know," he choked out through his sobs. He didn't expect to cry this much and he definitely didn't expect Ladybug to. They didn't let go for dozens of minutes. Chat suddenly fell back out of Ladybugs arms and landed on his back. He had fainted. This wouldn't have been such a huge problem if his head wasn't bleeding but it was. He'd hit it on the sharp edge of the building.

"Chat! Chat! Wake up!" He wouldn't budge. Her only choice was bringing him to the hospital. He hadn't cataclysmed so his identity was safe. She picked him up onto her back and rushed him there as fast as she possibly could. She ran into the ER crying for help. Paramedics immediately came to the scene to help the suffering hero. His head was bleeding pretty bad. "Please help him!" Was all she could say. She sat in the emergency room waiting for hours. She wasn't allowed to see him while operations were taking place. It was 3am when she finally heard news. She hadn't fallen asleep because she was too worried about him. A doctor came over to her calmly and stated the news.

"He's in stable condition. We've stitched up his head but we had to shave some of his hair off. He lost a lot of blood by the time you came. If you'd been a little later he might've been dead right now. We've got him hooked up to an IV. He'll have to stay in bed for at least a week but he'll be ready to go home by morning if all the tests come back positive. You can see him now ma'am."

"Thanks doctor." She made her way to his room quickly. When she reached the door she hesitated but headed in. He looked so peaceful. She knew he was doing well. She sat on the edge of his bed. He was sleeping.

"You're gonna be okay Kitty," she said softly. She examined the wires going into his arm and his bandaged head. She gently swept a piece of loose hair out of his face. "I'm so sorry." His eyes fluttered.

"Ladybug?" He asked.

"Yeah Chat. I'm here."

"I'm sorry for all of this. I over exerted myself and ended up getting hurt. This is such a huge injury for such a stupid reason. I'm sorry I made you worry."

"You have no need to apologize. I should have realized you didn't look well before if happened. I'm a terrible friend." He sat up.

"Ladybug look at me. You're an amazing friend," he said holding her hands. "Without you I would've died over fainting. Now that's a sucky way to go, don't ya think?" They laughed together. "Thanks for sticking by my side." The waterworks returned.

"I'd never leave you in your time of need." They fell asleep on the hospital bed together until early in the morning. At around seven am Ladybug woke up to ask the doctors for permission to bring him home. When it was granted she went to get her partner and leave.

"Can we stop at the wig store before I go home?" Chat asked. "I don't want my father to know about this or anyone else. It could expose my secret identity."

"Sure." They went to purchase a similar looking wig to his hair and found their way back to where they had started patrol last night. "Are you sure you can get home on your own? I know I'd know your identity if I brought you home but It'd be worth it if I knew you were safe."

"I'll be fine M'lady. I promise I'll call you the moment I get home."

"Okay... remember to stay in bed for a few weeks kitty."

"I will bugaboo." She kissed his cheek goodbye and waved as she hopped off into the distance.

"Claws off." Plagg came out of the ring completely exhausted. Adrien handed him a piece of Camembert and arranged the wig over his remaining hair.

"Adrien... are you okay?" Plagg asked worriedly. He'd never sounded so serious in his life. "I'm so happy Ladybug took care of you."

"Thanks Plagg I'm fine. Let's go home."

"How are you gonna get out of school for that long?"

"I don't know. Father might believe I hate school and take me out if I pretend to be sick that long."

"We'll figure out something."

"I hope so." He got in his bed and slept for hours. Nathalie didn't even try to get him up for school. She sensed something was wrong and let him stay home that day.

Meanwhile at school all Mari could do was worry about Chat. He'd forgotten to call her when he got home.

"Hey beautiful girl," Luka said when he saw her. "Looks like something's on your mind. What's up?"

"Oh my friend is just dealing with some serious injuries right now and I'm a little worried about them."

"I'm sorry baby but you should just remain calm. Worrying won't do anything but make time go slower. You also look like you could use a nap. What time did you get to sleep last night?" She hadn't slept more than 4 hours on an uncomfortable hospital bed. Then she got home and was already late to school so she booked it and hardly made it to second period on time but she obviously couldn't tell him that.

"Oh I went to bed around midnight. I was just so worried about them."

"I have an idea. Meet me in the supply closet on the second floor next hour. You have a study hall then right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay see you then."

"Okay baby." She kissed him bye and went to third hour class. She hadn't even noticed Adrien was absent yet.

"I thought for sure he'd be here by now. It's not like him to miss this much school even when he is sick," Nino said to Alya halfway though science class.

"Who are we talking about again?" Mari asked sleepily. The we're supposed to be in a group discussion about molecules but were just socializing instead.

"Umm Adrien. My dudes is sick," Nino said questioningly.

"Have you really not noticed his absence Mari? It's not like you to be so unobservant," Alya asked.

"Oh sorry I've been distracted," Mari mumbled. She hardly heard them. "Yeah. Adrien. sick. weird."

"She's just been too occupied with her new love to notice any of us," Alya teased.

"Uh huh for sure," Marinette said half asleep.

"WAKE UP!" Alya screamed. She jumped.

"Yeah?! Where's the fire?"

"Has Luka been keeping you up with late night video chats?" Alya smirked.

"Chats?" Mari mumbled back and fell asleep on her desk.

"Let's let her sleep for now. If the teacher comes round we'll wake her up," Alya whispered. Nino agreed and Mari slept through the rest of class. "Time to go Mari," Alya said when class ended. The bell ringing woke her up.

"Thanks for letting me sleep. I had a rough night."

"It's all good girl." Mari told her study hall teacher she would be in another class for the hour and went to find Luka. He had set up a pile of pillows he'd found in the library and the softest table cloths the cafeteria had to make a bed for Mari.

"That's so sweet baby," she told him when she saw it.

"You can sleep in here through study hall and lunch and I'll keep guard so no one interrupts and bring you food 15 minutes before you head to your next class."

"You're the best boyfriend I could ever ask for!" She squealed hugging him. She jumped onto the pile and closed her eyes. He closed the door and sat down to read and do homework right outside. No faculty questioned him because of how great of a student he'd proven to be over the years.

When Mari got home she immediately transformed to check if Chat had tried to call or leave a message. Nothing.

"Spots off," she said. "Oh tikki what if something's wrong with him? What if he didn't make it home last night! I knew I should've walked with him!" She sighed and dramatically fell on her couch.

"I'm sure he's fine Marinette. He was very tired last night." Her phone suddenly beeped. She recognized the noise as an alert to check her yo-yo messages.

"SPOTS ON!" It was a message from Chat! It read [[[Sorry for worrying you bugaboo. I was so tired I forgot about reminding you of my getting home last night. I'm doing fine. ? ﾟﾘﾘ]]] She was ecstatic. "Silly kitty," she mumbled to herself. "Making me worry like that." She sent a reply that said [[[You're lucky I didn't call the police to look for you. You gave me a heart attack I was so worried. Glad to hear you're doing better.]]] Seconds later she got [[[Awwww was M'lady worried about me? How paw-sitively adorable! ?]]] "I'm glad to see he's feeling good enough to mess with me," she laughed to herself. "Spots off. He's doing fine Tikki."

"I knew you were worrying too much." She hugged her arm.

The next day Adrien has absolutely no idea how to convince the household that he'd need to stay at home for a week. He decided his best option was to fake a fever. Wasn't serious enough for the hospital but serious enough to stay at home and knowing Gabriel he'd definitely make a big deal out of it and cancel all his photo shoots and stuff. He made some fake barf with some snacks he had stashed in his room including some stinky cheese and blew dry his face so it'd be red and hot. He then yelled in pain for someone to come to the bathroom. Almost instantaneously Nathalie, gorilla, and Gabriel were there. Nathalie looked suspicious but Gabriel called off school for the day after feeling his son's forehead.

"Get some rest," was all he said while leaving. The rest of the week Adrien used the same technique to stay home. He kept in touch with Ladybug to assure her he was doing fine and throughout the week only one person was akumatized multiple times. Ladybug was able to handle Mr. Pigeon's glorious returns easily and made sure Chat knew it. She'd didn't want to risk his health. On the day Adrien did finally decide to back to school Gabriel stopped him abruptly before exiting the door.

"Son I need you to answer something honestly. Why have you been wearing an ugly wig ever since you've been sick?" Adrien gulped. He was caught.

"So you noticed?" He asked wearily.

"How could I not? That's a fashion atrocity. Now tell me the truth or no school." Adrien wasn't stupid. He knew he'd eventually need an excuse for if someone noticed. He'd prepared it on the very first day. He peeled off the front of the wig to reveal his hair buzzed and dyed black but not to reveal his scar.

"I wanted to change up my hair a bit but it looked awful so I tried to hide it. I'm sorry father." Gabriel was absolutely speechless. After a moments silence Adrien spoke up again. "Father are you mad?"

"I do believe I'm disappointed in you. Your hair was fine before and you disobeyed me by not asking permission before changing your looks. I'll get a stylist to shave off the rest of that black mess so it can start to regrow to the way it was. Until it's regrown I'll be purchasing you a better quality hair piece than that ugly cheap monstrosity. No one will want to photograph you with that on your head. You'll be staying home from school today so we can get a new wig and your punishment will be no spending time with your friends for the next month. You may return to your room." And with that Gabriel went back to his study.

"I think I got off pretty easy. He hardly lets me go out as it is and I'll get a more realistic wig," Adrien told Plagg as he entered his room. "Maybe I'll keep the cheap one to wear as Chat Noir so it's harder to recognize me."

"No need to worry about that," Plagg said as he stuffed a fresh piece of Camembert into his mouth. "The miraculous changes everything about you when you transform so your wig will change styles like your natural hair did."

"That's great news Plagg! I can't wait to see Ladybug tomorrow. I've missed her like crazy."

"What happened to 'I'm getting my feelings for her off my chest and then finding someone new'?" Plagg mocked.

"I know. I know. But we're still friends and I still love her no matter what. I just don't know if I'll be confessing to Marinette anymore. When Ladybug brought me to the hospital that night I realized just how important good friendships are and I'd never want to do anything to jeopardize one. And anyways she's completely and entirely in love with Luka."

School was pretty great the next day. Everyone had missed him and welcomed him back with open arms. Marinette had even baked apricot macaroons for everyone to celebrate his health.

"What's all this for?" He asked her.

"I'm just in such a joyous mood today I got up early to make these for your return," she told him. Chat had messaged her the night before and said he'd be returning to patrol the next day.

That night she arrived to patrol a whole half an hour early and Chat Noir was already there!

"Kitty!" She screamed with delight. "I missed you so much! I'm so glad to see you're doing okay now!" She jumped into his arms and hugged him.

"I missed you too bugaboo." He looked down at her and kissed her forehead gently. "A week without you was like a year without rain."

"You're so poetic," she said rolling her eyes. "Let's get this patrol done and over with. I have a surprise for you. He giddily awaited the surprise all throughout the night. When patrol ended she brought him to a colorfully decorated rooftop with a projector and blow up mattress set up. "I thought you could use a movie night to get over some of the past week's stress and trauma. You once mentioned you'd never seen Notebook. How bout we watch that?"

"You remembered! I'd love to!" He'd never been so in love with her than at that moment. They snuggled up in the pillows and blankets she'd brought, took out some snacks, and watched some movies. They watched Notebook and cried together, Meg and screamed together, and then watched Bambi and fell asleep together. Chat woke up with Ladybug's head resting on his chest. "She's so perfect. Get up love bug." She slowly blinked and got up.

"Oh what time is it?" It was still dark out.

"5:30. We should clean this up and get going."

"But I don't want to," she said tired.

"Me either," he said as he reluctantly got up and started picking up everything. He let her sleep until only the mattress needed to be undid. He gently lifted her up and sat her on the packed box of decorations.

"Thanks Kitty," she said when she realized she'd forgotten to help him clean up. "You're the best."

"No, you are," he said. He was standing above her looking into her eyes. He had the urge to kiss her and did. He leaned and his lips met hers in the most tender kiss he'd ever experienced. Her lips tasted so sweet, like the watermelon chapstick she was wearing. He suddenly jumped back realizing what he had just done. "Oh my god! Ladybug, I'm so so sorry!" They both just stayed out looking shocked for a moment. Ladybug could see the guilt Chat felt.

"It's okay Chat. We're both tired and I shouldn't have just let it happen." She looked just as embarrassed as him. "Let me help you finish packing," she said as she stood up. He nodded and they finished in silence. "See you tonight Chat!" She said while leaving.

"How could I let that happen," he thought to himself. "Stupid cat."

During school Mari could only concentrate on how she'd cheated on Luka. Her grades were really slipping these last couple weeks. Every time she saw him she lit up but then immediately went back to totally devastated. She was a cheater and she knew it. She enjoyed kissing Chat and she let it happen. She was a terrible girlfriend. During lunch she sat across from him just studying his face. Could he tell she was guilty? What would he do if he found out? Would he dump her? Just the thought made her stomach twist. She couldn't imagine being dumped again. He noticed her staring after awhile.

"Like the view?" He teased. Her mind jumped back to reality.

"Oh of course," she laughed. He had a way of making her smile no matter what mood she was in. "Hey umm if you cheated on me what would you do? Would you tell me? Would you think I should break up with you?"

"I'd never do that so I've never really thought of it. You're the perfect girl. Why would I want to ruin our relationship?" He smiled at her. "Don't worry. As much as it may seem like I don't I actually pride myself on being an A+ boyfriend," he joked.

"I love you," she said quietly.

"I love you too," he kissed her hand. "And I'm for real. I'd never even think of cheating on you. You're everything I could ever want." Why did he have to be so amazing? He just made her feel guiltier.

"Luka I've got to tell you something... I-" she was interrupted by a giant crash. A huge monster was on the school roof. It scooped up Alya, Nino, Chloe, Luka, Max, and Kim in its tentacles.

"MARINETTE! RUN!" Luka yelled. Even as he was being kidnapped by an akumatized monster he still managed to be the perfect boyfriend he was and think of her first. She dashed for the locker room and transformed.

"Come on Tikki we've got to save my friends! Spots on!"

Meanwhile Adrien was in the boys side of the locker room doing the same thing. When they came back outside they found eachother in the back field and chased the monster hoping to save their friends from what was to come. When they arrived at the Eiffel Tower they saw something they would have never expected. Hawkmoth and Mayura in the flesh. Hawkmoth used the fear the monster brought to their friends to akumaztize all of them with the help of Mayura. Then before Chat and Ladybug had time to react, each of the new villains were handed a miraculous they had been previously granted. The monster was master Fu!

"How could this of happened?" Ladybug shrieked. She was panicking. She didn't know how they'd manage to stop Hawkmoth, Mayura, Queen Bee, Rena Route, Carapace, and Master Fu all on their own. The situation seemed hopeless. "We can't do this!" She yelled. She couldn't calm down. "There's no way we'll be able to defeat them all!" She started sobbing with panic.

"Hey, look at me!" Chat yelled. He pulled her close and stared at her tear stained face. "There's nothing we can't do when we work together. We can do it. We just might need a little back up." He pulled her off the building and into the subway.

"Where are they going!?" Hawkmoth screamed viciously.

"Don't worry sir. I'm sure they'll return. There's no possible way they can beat us. We've just got to stand ready," Mayura assured him. He nodded slightly irritated. "Just think. Tomorrow you'll have all you ever wanted," she reminded him. He breathed deeply and went to talk with his new allies.

Meanwhile Ladybug and Chat Noir were off finding officer Rodger and the mayor.

"We need as much help as we can get. Call in the army, the national guard, the FBI. Anyone," she told them. "All the akumatized villains have miraculous," she explained. Mr. Bourgeois immediately agreed.

"Anything to save my precious daughter," he said. "Call in all your officers Rodger. I'll call the president."

"What a genius plan M'lady," he said kissing her hand. "Distract them with fighting the military while we get rid of the akuma."

"Actually I had a much bigger idea than that. We're gonna take down Hawkmoth once and for all." She had an excited grin on her face. He knew she had a plan and he trusted it completely. "We've got to stop at Marinette Dupain-Cheng's house real quick," she told the mayor. "We'll be back soon to tell the troops our plan."

"What's at Marinette's house?" Chat asked.

"Supplies." She landed on the roof and went through the ladder to her room. She immediately ran to the closet and grabbed the fabric she needed. "Can you take that sewing machine on the desk? Make sure it has thread in it." He looked at her confused. She sighed and showed him where to look. "Lets go. We've also got to stop at Adrien Agreste's estate, Wayhem's, Alya's, and Mirielles." Ladybug's plan just became more and more confusing to Chat.

"What exactly is your plan bugaboo?"

"I'll tell you when the time is right." When they got to Adrien's house they went straight to Gabriel's design room. "Find me those masks they used in the music video!" Chat slowly began to understand her plan. They ran to Alya's to grab her "Signed one of a kind Chat Noir and Ladybug weapons replicas mint condition!" That she had bought off eBay.

"I definitely didn't sign this," Chat laughed. "My handwriting is way better than this copy cat's." Ladybug giggled. 'Wait till Alya finds out,' she thought to herself. Ladybug told Chat to fetch Wayhem while she got Mirielle. They met up back at the mayor's office after they'd gotten them.

"Here get into costume she told them."

"Okay I get Wayhem but why Mirielle?" Chat asked her.

"She uh... looks the most like me. Similar hair color and eyes."

"What about Marinette? She sort of looks like you."

"Oh she is way too clumsy to imitate me."

"Good point. Marinette may be awesome but she can't stay on her feet for longer than 5 minutes," Chat joked.

"Do you... do you know her personally?"

"Um no! I was just speaking from the few times I've seen her. Ya know like the times she's helped us with plans."

"Oh okay." Mirielle And Wayhem exited the changing rooms looking fabulous. "Wow they really do look like us," Ladybug breathed.

"Yeah but they'd definitely never fool me. I know my lady way too well," Chat announced smugly. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Yeah sure, let's get this plan started."


End file.
